The Unidentified
by MissGoalie75
Summary: Kenshin was content living his life as the unidentified sidekick to Enishi, the great hero Shikku. At least until Kaoru came into the picture, destroying the delicate relationship between hero and sidekick, and they weren't the only ones affected...
1. Chapter One

Summary: Kenshin was content living his life as the unidentified sidekick to Enishi, the great hero Shikku. At least until Kaoru came into the picture, destroying the delicate relationship between hero and sidekick…and it wasn't just them that were affected…

A/N: This was supposed to be a oneshot…but it got horribly out of control.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter One

_Kenshin_

"Wow! Look at him! He's _unstoppable_!"

"Yeah! It's like Shikku _knows_ what that guy's going to do."

I would like to tell you that they were referring to me, that I was kicking some serious bad guy ass on top of that building in front of thousands of people. But…I wasn't.

I was that guy in the shadows, watching the fight like every other spectator on the ground.

But my mind was whirling a million miles a minute, hundreds of input and output signals making my brain pound against my skull. With Enishi repeating the mental messages I sent him, the villain's disturbing thoughts, and the incoherent yet loud thoughts of the people below me, my mind is not my own. I'm a conduit.

_Side slash, but his feet follow_, I read from the villain's mind and projected to Enishi, which he repeated in his head before giving the final blow.

When I couldn't hear the villain's thoughts, I sighed loudly. Finally, my mind was my own. But my head still hurt horribly. As I slipped away as Enishi took in the glory, I wondered how many pills I should take for my headache today.

I double-checked my ski mask to make sure it was covering my face and then I climbed down the fire escape with mastered ease. When I touched the pavement, I ran through the alley until I found a dark corner where I took off the mask and calmly joined the rest of the crowd.

I stared at Enishi, who grabbed the villain by his shirt and flew him down to the police. I wondered if he noticed me in the crowd.

I didn't stay very long this time – my head was splitting in half and I couldn't tell who was speaking out loud and who was just saying pointless things in their heads. Stumbling through the crowds, I tried to make it back to my apartment without crashing head first into the pavement.

I ignored my landlord ranting something about the rent and slammed my door shut, reveling in the silence. My pills were always in my bedroom, because normally when I took them, I would pass out onto my bed.

It was a lovely process.

Especially the passing out part.

Some life, right?

* * *

I had taken the last two pills, and I needed to get more, which meant that I had to go to the pharmacy, which meant an awkward confrontation with the pharmacist.

I hoped it was Sakura just because she knew.

But with my rotten luck, it ended up being a new guy.

So I waited behind five other people, feeling the beginning of another headache coming on. Everyone was silently screaming his or her impatience.

_Will this dumb fuck hurry up? I swear to God some people have LIVES…_

_I have to pick up Suki from ballet and then I have to rush home to walk the dog and drive Shiki to soccer and then I have to get ready for the dinner party with the Nakamuras…_

_Why do _I_ have to pick up grandma's prescription? It's so annoying how I have to travel downtown to get it…_

_UGH! This is taking forever!_

I tried to block off everything, but I managed to bring it down to a murmur. I sighed and looked behind me to see how much further the line was backed up. There were three people.

Including her.

That girl that came once a month to refill some sort of prescription for her grandmother.

I never tried to read any civilian's mind on purpose. But a lot of the times, people scream their thoughts and I ended up hearing things. But with her, I could never immediately read her thoughts. With her mind, it was more vague emotions. When I tried hard enough, I was able to hear it, but it still made her somewhat of an anomaly.

After a good fifteen minutes (by this time my head was splitting in half again), it was my turn. His eyes shot up when he realized how large my prescription was.

"No, it's not a mistake, trust me," I said tiredly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

He narrowed his eyes at me in a suspicious manner. They always thought I was some sort of drug addict.

"Look, just call your damn boss and ask for yourself, I come here twice a month," I snapped, glaring at the ridiculous pharmacist.

He glared back, but he reached for the phone by the wall all the same.

"Jesus Christ can't get some _fucking_ service…" I muttered.

I heard a snort behind me and I knew it was That Girl. I never did try and find out her name, since it took more effort to search through her brain and usually when I was in line getting my prescription, I usually had a monstrous headache.

"…Are you…? Oh…alright…g'bye." The pharmacist hung up the phone and shot another dirty look at me. "I'll be back." He left and took my prescription with him.

I thought I'd take four when I got home.

"What do you _get_?"

I looked behind me to find That Girl looking at me expectantly.

"My prescription?" I clarified.

"Yeah. Every time I come here, you're always in line, and it _always_ causes a reaction from whichever pharmacist."

She had big blue eyes. Almost like a doll, save for hers were a darker shade of blue, like a sapphire stone.

"Honestly? You'd think I was a drug addict if I told you."

"Honestly? I already think you are."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a painkiller. I have chronic headaches."

She winced. "Oh. Sorry."

I shook my head. "It's alright. I've learned to put up with it."

The pharmacist came back with my large container filled to the brim with pills. I slapped down my cash and gave him a grin. "Thanks!"

I immediately opened it and took one for the walk back to my apartment. But before leaving, I took one last look at That Girl.

* * *

On Sunday morning, I opened my apartment a crack, grabbed the paper before my landlord realized anything, and locked it shut. I took a seat in my uncomfortable wooden chair in my dinky kitchen and looked over the front page, which had a photo of Shikku impressively fighting the douchebag on the building and…

There I was! Toward the left of the page. It was rather small and blurry, but it was the best coverage I had seen of me.

I opened the paper eagerly, scanning through the usual stuff (_The city's hero, Shikku, managed to save ten people from possible death…The man responsible…didn't have a chance…_).

I stopped to read this paragraph:

_Witnesses at the scene also noticed a third man on the building, watching the fight "intently," as one onlooker remarked. This masked figure, this unidentified sidekick, has been seen with Shikku a few times, but he has yet to show any ability._

Unidentified sidekick. Perfect. Just how it should be.

My phone vibrated from my nightstand. I slammed my hands holding the paper onto the rickety wooden table and groaned. There would only be one person calling my phone: Enishi, the hero, the Sky Strider, Shikku.

I got up slowly and casually walked to my room. One missed call. Unknown.

I sighed as I opened the phone and dialed his number.

"_Same place._"

"Right."

I hung up and took a pill before getting dressed. I brought two extra and put them in my bag before running out of my apartment, dodging my landlord who screamed, "YOU BETTER GET ME MY RENT, DAMNIT!"

* * *

For our secret rendezvous, we would meet at an old dojo; it was a nod to the past we had, to the root of our friendship.

I went in through the alleyway entrance, passing an empty classroom and a class in session before I reached our meeting office.

Enishi was already there, of course, sitting in the swivel chair in his thousand-dollar suit, sleek sunglasses, and polished shoes. And there I was, in my torn up jeans from high school, my worn canvas shoes, and the shirt I had slept in.

"You look like shit," he noted.

I shut the door behind me. "Well, that tends to happen when you wake up in the middle of the night, hearing the tenants upstairs mentally and physically yelling at each other."

He nodded, allowing himself to sympathize for a few moments. After he was done with that, he stood up. "The paper."

"_The_ _Daily Word_?"

"Yes."

"What about it? You have a kick ass picture of yourself on it."

"While that's true…you're also in it."

"I know…I'm the 'unidentified sidekick.' Nothing to worry about."

He removed his sunglasses and tried to pierce me with his bright teal eyes. "Kenshin, you _know_ you can't be seen. The fact that you even have a _title_, as vague and unremarkable as it may be, isn't okay."

I snorted. "Please. Nobody gives a rat's ass about me. I've been tagging along with you saving this damned city for almost two years and _now_ they're noticing some freak in a ski mask is watching you like all the other millions people in this city?"

Enishi sighed and nodded, comforted. "Okay, just be more careful, will you?"

I took a peak in his head: _Can't have anyone finding out about you – I won't be their hero anymore! Who will save the people then?_

I sighed. "Okay, I will."

He grinned. "Great." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"No," I said flatly.

"Come on, Kenshin, just take it."

"I won't."

"Please, I insist. Your landlord is riding on your ass right now, I don't have to be a mind reader to know that."

"I'm getting by fine."

"You are not. A half-time job is not enough. Take the money."

I looked at the envelope with a little longing. I did really need cash – it was bad enough skiving off my rent just so I can eat. Slowly, I reached out and took the envelope. It was heavier than normal.

"Enishi…" I started.

"_Not another word about it_. How's work, speaking of your job?"

I shrugged. "Whatever. It pays me."

We then stood in an awkward silence and it made me sad. Once upon a time we used to be close friends. What happened?

"How's Tomoe?" I asked.

He smiled. He was very fond of his sister. "She's engaged."

My eyes widened. "Really? To that guy? Akira?"

"Yeah, but keep that on the DL – we're alerting the press about it tomorrow."

I smiled. Tomoe gave me my first kiss way back when. I hadn't seen her in person since around that time.

"What about Natsumi? Are you still hooking up with her?"

He shrugged flippantly. "We fought the other day. But we'll make up again…"

For a moment, I was extremely jealous. I hadn't been out with a girl since…right before Enishi approached me two years ago with that life-changing proposition in my third year of college. There was never any time. After all, I wasn't _Enishi_.

"What about you?" he asked.

I didn't bother to smile. "Same answer as it always is."

He gave me another look of sympathy. "Sorry."

This time I shrugged. "Well-being of the city and whatnot. Comes before me."

Sadly enough, I actually believed it. With every bone in my body.

* * *

He left when he got a call about some function he had to buy tables for. Walking past me, he continued to yell at the poor guy on the line. I went over to the swivel chair, sat down on it, and began spinning like Enishi did earlier. I didn't think – I just swiveled and looked at the organized shelves and coffee-stained desk.

"Do you want to spar?"

I looked up and found Hiko, the owner of the dojo, staring at me.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

_Schmuck…gypped…_

"Shut the fuck up, Hiko."

He crossed his large, muscular arms. "Right to privacy. And don't you curse at your teacher."

I stopped spinning. "You're practically _screaming_ your thoughts, I don't even have to try. Besides, you're no longer my teacher."

"I'm your elder."

"I thought you didn't like being referred to as old."

He gave me a death glare while I smiled innocently. He then sighed, bringing his face in his hand to rub his eyes. "It's true, Kenshin. You can't do this for your whole life."

I looked down at a particularly dark coffee-stain. It was almost a perfect circle. "Probably not. But I'm doing a lot right now, which is all that matters."

"Your body is going to fail on you. You can't keep popping those pills like candy."

I shrugged. "They work the same as Advil would for you."

"It doesn't make it _right_. Not to mention the fact that you're living in an apartment without a full-paying job."

"Enishi pays me."

"It's despicable, he should just give you a job at his company. You would just be another low worker in his large network."

I stood up. "You know I can't work there – _any_ connection we have can compromise us."

Hiko shook his head. "Whatever. It's none of my business, is it?" He didn't bother to wait for my answer. "I'm going to do some katas. Want to join me?"

I snorted softly. "You know, sane person that knew of my ability wouldn't want to fight me. I can read your mind. I'd know your every move, regardless of the technique you taught me."

He looked at me hard. "Yes, but I'm the only one that knows your weakness."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You can't read people's minds and simultaneously fight them for a long period of time. Your headache will get too painful. You'll pass out."

I inhaled and exhaled slowly. True.

But since I didn't have much of a headache, I followed him out of his office.

* * *

When shit's going down, Enishi would alert me and an obnoxious ringtone would come on.

"Sorry, I better take this," I said in the middle of a meeting, practically running out of the room.

I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the office and down the stairs, because the elevators took too damn long. Dialing Enishi, I began pulling my tucked in shirt out of my pants.

"_43__rd__ and Smith_."

"Damn it, that's –!"

"_Just get there!_"

I hung up and ran out of the building, fumbling with my black jacket that I had to put on before running twenty blocks to the scene.

I never needed to go and workout, which I supposed was a positive aspect.

* * *

This time when I climbed down (actually, it was more like I _stumbled_…my head was hurting worse than usual) the fire escape, there was someone waiting for me.

That Girl.

But this time she wasn't dressed casually like I normally saw her. Instead of jeans, she wore a black pencil skirt. And instead of a blouse or a t-shirt, she wore a black blazer with and a white collared shirt underneath.

She looked so professional.

"Hi, I'm Kaoru Kamiya, would it be okay if I asked you a few questions?"

I froze. "What?" My voice was unrecognizable it was so high with shock.

She continued to stare at me with those piercing eyes of hers. Kaoru Kamiya.

Seeing that I clearly wasn't going anywhere, she opened her small notepad to a page and her pen was propped, ready to start jotting down notes.

Now that I had finally calmed down, I was, surprisingly enough, thinking rationally. I couldn't talk in my normal voice because she already knew what I sounded like. She probably wouldn't recognize it at first, but it would be an itch in the back of her mind. And now that I knew she was a _reporter_ of all things, I had to cover my tracks carefully.

I used the first accent that popped in my head.

"I can't discuss with you about anything regarding Shikku."

A British accent.

She shook her head. "No, I want to ask questions about _you_."

Now _that_ I wasn't expecting.

"Me?"

"Yes. You're known the public as the 'unidentified sidekick.' How long have you actually been _with_ Shikku? The entire time? Recently?"

I finally knew why Enishi had such a problem about my finally being indentified.

"I…I can't talk about this. I'm not supposed to exist. I'm a nobody," I stuttered, starting to back away from her.

"Wait!"

But I was down the alleyway and mixed in with the masses.

Something told me that this wasn't the end of Kaoru Kamiya. But I didn't know whether to be exasperated…or something else entirely.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it or are at least are somewhat interested. From here on out the chapters are going to be in Kenshin's, Kaoru's, and Enishi's points of views.

Please review!

MissGoalie


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Two

_Kaoru_

I continued to stand in the same place he left me. Him. The Unidentified Sidekick.

There was a mixture of feelings inside of me, and I wasn't quite sure which one to deal with first.

The most obvious one was shock. Shocked of his response to my questions. He wasn't supposed to _be_ anyone? What did _that _mean?

Which also linked to my other strong emotion: curiosity. Being a reporter and all, this was almost a given. Who _was_ this person? This normal guy wearing nothing more than a ski mask?

But the most confusing emotion of them all was…compassion.

There was something about him that made me want to reach out to him. Was it the way his amber eyes sparked with desperation? Or was it the pain clouding them? Or something else?

This emotion was enough to solidify my decision: I was going to get my interview with him and I was going to find out why he was doing this.

I began walking out of the alleyway when my cell phone rang.

"_Kaoru? Where are you? I need you back here to –_" It was my boss.

"I was pursuing a story."

"_What story?_"

"I'll tell you when I get back to the office. What happened _now_?"

"_Apparently the bloody temp deleted your article about the new deal involving Yukishiro Industries_."

I sighed, raising a hand for a taxi. "Then I suppose it's a good thing that I saved it on a disk." I got in and whispered, "Sixteenth and Boulevard."

I heard him give a huge sigh of relief. "_I can always count on you for being _smart_ in this idiotic world_."

I smiled. "Now how about that pay raise?"

He laughed. "_Since you totally saved the day right now, sure, I'll give you one. So I'll see you in ten?_"

"Make that twenty. There's still traffic from Shikku's _entertaining_ fight."

"_Of course._"

I closed my phone and looked out the window to see people talking excitedly about Shikku. I thought I was the only person in this city that was somewhat turned off by him. His cliché blue and silver spandex outfit was just so…formulaic. It wasn't very special. He seemed genuine enough – he was always there to help save the day. And this city was pretty much in the dumps before he came along, and I was glad he was there. But…

It puzzled me that Shikku wouldn't associate himself with this masked sidekick.

But I didn't know anything. Who was I to judge? Maybe my first impression of the Unidentified Sidekick was actually the complete opposite of who he really was. Perhaps he was, in fact, a nobody who just stalked Shikku.

…But then again…why did he sound so panicked and why did he tell me to forget about his existence if he wasn't so important?

* * *

_Kenshin_

I liked to walk through my old neighborhood from time to time. It was a couple blocks away from my apartment. Usually after my walk, I felt better. It was a good reminder as to why I did what I did.

Of course Enishi cared for this city a lot, he wouldn't be the hero otherwise, but I had history. I had lived in this city my entire life. Enishi only lived there for eight years before he left.

There were some familiar faces that still lingered there, but for the most part, everyone was different. But what was funny was that I saw my old friends and myself in all the young kids that still used that faulty fire hydrant as a sprinkler in the summer.

"Kenshin!"

I looked up and saw Oibore sitting on his chair on his lawn, his cane resting on his lap and his ancient straw hat on his head. Him wearing that meant that winter was officially over.

I stopped walking and smiled. "Hey, ol' geezer."

He flipped me the finger and I laughed, striding over to his property.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, taking his cane and nudging my leg.

"Nothing. I just like walking down here every once in a while."

He nodded. "It hasn't really changed. Different kids, same dynamics."

"That's good. Some of my best memories are here. My blood is on that pavement, you know?"

"So are your tears."

My face turned sour. It wasn't as if I _bawled_ or anything. It was just a few tears, an understandable reaction to seeing your best friend and the girl that you loved at the time move away forever.

"Can you believe that little bugger is now the owner of the largest jet industry? At his age?"

I looked up to the sky and stuffed my hands in my pockets. "I can. He was always very assiduous, even as a kid."

Oibore gave me a shrewd look. "You're smarter than he is."

I laughed a little. If Enishi heard what Oibore had said, he would've flipped a shit. Especially since I had inadvertently cheated on tests with my ability. "Not really. I mean…look how we ended up," I said with a shrug.

"That has nothing to do anything."

"I believe it does. He's an intelligent business man already at the age of twenty-three. He's very impressive."

"No…you want to know what I think is impressive? Even after nearly five years of not living in that building," he said, pointing to my old house down the road, "You still come back to your roots."

He was being serious, and I didn't have to read his mind. I could always count on his words being a reflection of his thoughts.

"Thanks, Oibore, I appreciate it."

He shook his head and waved his hand. "Forget about it."

I removed my right hand from my pocket and rubbed my chin a little. "But it is true…I doubt I would be able to run a multi-million dollar company as smoothly as he could."

Oibore gave me a sharp look, throwing me off a little. "From a very young age he had been trained to think and act like a business man. He had his father as a model for over twenty years before he died. Enishi has a ring of managers and associates to assist him. The thing about that child is that he has been spoon fed everything in his life, including Yukishiro Industries. At least his father started from nothing and made his company into what it is today."

I bit my lip, not quite sure how to respond to that. Deep down, I knew that was true, but that wasn't quite fair. Enishi had his share of difficulties…

Oibore sighed. "I'm not trying to insult him, kid, I know that you two were close…I'm just trying to…poorly hint that you shouldn't bring yourself down."

"I don't _bring_ myself _down_…" He gave me another knowing look, which made me sigh. "I believe in a little thing called _modesty_. And truth. I'm not impressive."

His expression turned sad. "You are, though. I wish you would see that."

I reached over a patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, but I'm a normal human being, and I'm okay with that." Besides the fact that I could read people's minds and I helped the city's hero beat the bad guys. Other than that, an average Joe.

* * *

On my way back to my apartment, there was a bad ten or so blocks that I had to go through, but I was rather comfortable going through it since I grew up near it. Even so, I was always alert.

I passed by a gang, and continued looking ahead, despite the horrible thoughts they were yelling. Full of vulgar images and words.

But then I heard a cry for help; and I weren't sure whether it was actually said out loud, or if it was someone's thoughts. It didn't matter – I was going to find the source.

_AHHH! HELP!_

I heard it again, but this time I recognized the voice. That Girl. Kaoru Kamiya.

I picked my pace up to a run, looking through every alley until I heard a scuffle. I stopped in between a grocery store and a barbershop to find a man on the floor pinning someone to the wall. He was focused on stealing her purse…and discovering what was underneath that blazer.

Without thinking, I ran over to him without a sound, and I was about to kick him when I hear a, "Hyah!" and then a howl of pain. I froze in place and watched with fascination as the assaulter crumbled into a ball and fall to his side. There was a gun cradled in his hands.

I gained my senses and elbowed the guy on the back of the neck, knocking him out before I grabbed the gun and went over to Kaoru, who was beginning to stand up.

"What the hell did you do?" I asked, lending a hand, which she took.

"Kneed him in the balls, of course," she said, pulling down her blazer and dusting off her skirt. This time her ensemble was navy. I liked this one. "Self defense one-oh-one for girls."

I smiled. "I was going to whack him."

"Thanks. You know…for trying to save me before I beat you to it."

"No problem." There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Shouldn't we…I don't know…call the police?"

I gave her a sad smile. "Not wise. He's part of a gang…most likely," I added quickly. Then there was another painful silence. "Uh…do you want me to…accompany you to where you're heading?" I asked, throwing a thumb out to the street before running my other hand through my bangs.

"You really don't have to," she said, bringing her purse strap to her shoulder.

"But I do. Call it sadly outdated chivalry."

She smiled and looked down at her feet. She was grateful because fear still lingered in her thoughts. She eyed the gun in my hands and I gestured to the garbage can on the sidewalk, where I ended up tossing it in.

We walked down the streets in silence for a minute until she asked, "You're the guy at the pharmacy. The one who gets chronic headaches?"

"Yeah. I'm a pretty hard person to forget. I think it might be the hair…but hey. I could be wrong."

She giggled a little. "Right. Does your head hurt now?"

"It always does. But no, it's not terrible."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's fine. I've had to deal with it for years. You can say I've built up a little bit of a tolerance."

"So…what's your name?" she asked. Her cheeks turned pink. She was embarrassed.

"Kenshin Himura." I paused for a moment, remembering that I wasn't supposed to know hers. "And your name…?"

"Kaoru Kamiya."

"Kaoru." I liked saying her name out loud.

"Kenshin."

I smiled. I liked that her thoughts weren't obvious. Although I could read the tone of her thoughts, it didn't bother me at all. In fact, it made me feel more connected to her than I would to anyone else whose mind I could read like an open book.

"So what were you doing there anyway? That's a bad neighborhood," I asked as we came to a stop at an intersection.

"I could ask you the same question," she countered.

"I was coming back from visiting my old home. What's your excuse?"

"You _lived _there?"

"No, I lived further south. You haven't answered my question. Was it for your job?"

A quizzical expression adjourned her face. "My job?"

_Shit_.

"Well, I don't know, was it?" I asked, trying to keep my cool, even though I was cursing loudly in my head.

"No. I actually got on the wrong subway car. I was being stupid," she explained as the light changed to the walking figure.

As we passed people, I heard people's obnoxious thoughts, disrupting my relatively clear head. I put a hand to my head as if it would stop the throbbing.

"Your head?" she asked as soon as the crowds had passed and they were on the other side of the road.

"Yeah," I managed to say. "Loud crowds and noises tend to make it worse."

"Then what the hell are you doing in a city?"

I laughed. "That's a good question."

We stopped in front of a subway entrance. "I love this city. Despite it's horrible people, smelly restrooms, and obnoxious drivers," I admitted. "I grew up here. I can't leave. That's why I'm still here."

She stared at me with a shocked expression. Her blue eyes widened and her lips parted a little. "Oh."

I smiled a little and looked down at the pavement, sticking my hands into my pockets. "Yeah."

There was a silence where I knew that there was something else that needed to be said. But she felt it too, which was why we continued to stand in front of each other, both looking for the same thing to say.

"Do you want to…I don't know…" she started, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"You don't have to feel obligated, you know," I interrupted her, hoping to ease her. "After all, I didn't really save you."

"I don't feel obligated. I like talking with you," she said boldly, making herself and me flush.

"Okay. What's…" I stopped myself short. Ever since I started helping Enishi, whenever I was in a situation like this, I would always ask for the girl's number. Therefore, I never had to deal with talking to her again. I knew I should do this. It wasn't right. Especially since she was now in contact with my two identities. I couldn't…I _shouldn't_ pursue anything with her.

But for the first time in a very, very long time, something inside me sparked.

"I'll give you my number," I offered.

She pulled out her cell phone and she dialed in the numbers I recited to her. When I finished, she said, "Okay. I'll call you later this week."

"Alright. I can't wait," I said with sincerity.

She smiled before turning to go down the stairs. I watched her until she disappeared under the concrete and I couldn't help but wonder what the hell I was getting myself into.

Actually, that was a lie. I didn't think that at all. At the time, I was thinking how I couldn't wait to see her again.

* * *

The villain this time was different from the others. Of course, Enishi was able to defeat him, but he was still different. This one was a pawn of a gang…that much I was able to decipher. And that this wasn't the end.

I collapsed to the ground, unable to stand. The pain in my head was so crippling I couldn't even think of moving. Noises blended together: the cars honking, the people yelling…too…much…_noise_.

"Kenshin! You have to leave," Enishi hissed in a low voice. I didn't have to look at his masked face to know that his eyes were narrowed in anger.

I couldn't talk; I was trying not to throw up.

Enishi flew up in the sky like a bullet, leaving me on the pavement.

"Get a grip, get up," I muttered to myself, pushing my back against the brick wall to heave myself up.

Thin arms wrapped around my waist, helping me to stand. Turning my aching head slowly, I was surprised to find Kaoru's eyes staring back.

"Kaoru?"

She brought my limp arm around her shoulders. "Come on."

"Wait," I said in an anguished tone. I didn't know what I wanted.

"I'm just hiding you there, okay?" she said, nodding her head to a cranny behind a fire escape.

With a loud sigh and not very gracefully, she released me. I rested my head back and took long, deep breaths, hoping my head would clear.

"Are you hurt?" she inquired, looking at me up and down, searching for torn fabric, or a bloodstain.

"No…just…give me a minute," I murmured, my eyes closed.

She didn't leave. She sat patiently beside me, breathing evenly. I focused on that, the mess of blended noises, slowly leaving my head until all I could hear was her emotions.

She had many questions.

"Thank you," I said with an accent.

"You're not really British," she replied deadpanned.

"All the same." I began to stand up slowly, but my head began to hurt again. "Ugh."

"Why do you do this? Why do you put up with that ass?" she asked in an angry tone, which made me stop in place. Did she see my confrontation with Enishi?

"He's not an ass."

"Then why did he leave you here then?"

So she did see. "Because he can't stick around. Besides, no one knows about me. No one would think twice about a guy sitting in an alleyway."

"But _I_ know about you."

"And you should just forget about me. Just leave me alone."

She stood up in a flash, anger flashing in her eyes. "Could you just accept my kindness?"

I smiled a little even though I knew she couldn't see. "But it's not all kindness, is it? You want information from me."

To my immense surprise, hurt reflected in her eyes. "That's not fair."

I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry…but…I can't. I just can't."

"So you are his sidekick?"

I looked at her and her lips parted a little. _Shit_…were my eyes changing? "Yes. I'm his sidekick. His _unidentified_ sidekick." I finally got to my feet. "Thanks…for helping me out. I do appreciate it. A lot."

She smiled. "Goodbye."

This time she didn't call after me, she let me run off and I couldn't be more grateful.

* * *

_Enishi_

I felt bad leaving him, I really, really did, but I had to. I had a meeting with the ambassadors of five nations that I was already late to, and I couldn't delay anymore. After all, Shikku and Enishi Yukishiro couldn't be linked.

When I pulled off my mask in my private office, I heard a rapt knock on the door.

"It's me, Master Enishi."

"Come in," I said, proceeding to strip down.

My personal butler, doctor, and long time caretaker Mr. Gensai came in and shut the door behind him, carrying a suit and a pair of shoes.

"They're getting antsy," he said, handing me a finely pressed shirt.

"I'm _aware_ of that," I said shortly, buttoning my shirt quickly before grabbing the pair of pants from Mr. Gensai and putting them on.

"So I assume it went well?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course, but…he's part of some new gang. I don't know. Kenshin told me he couldn't really find out much. But I don't know if it's because his head was bothering him or not."

Mr. Gensai sighed. "You shouldn't talk about him like that. He has made many sacrifices for you."

I had finished stuffing my shirt in my pants and was just buttoning them. "I know he has. I wouldn't be who I am to this city without him. I _know_ that. But…it's just so…_annoying_ that his ability is so _limited_. Like I have no problems with flying. But with him…he reads people's minds and he gets migraines."

"So you can only imagine how much he suffers."

I put my jacket on before sitting down on a chair and tying my shoes. "I feel bad about leaving him just now. After my meeting I'll call him."

I stood up and shook my arms a bit, trying to relax. "Okay, how do I look?"

Mr. Gensai smiled kindly. "Like the owner of a multi-million dollar company."

I walked past him, but not before I squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you."

Time to make some deals and earn some money.

~**~

After my successful meeting, I whipped out my BlackBerry and called his phone. After five rings, it went to voicemail. I hung up and tried again. And again.

"_Hullo?_"

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked.

"_Yes_."

"Can we meet?"

There was a pause. "_Could you come to my place? Please?_"

"Of course."

"_Enishi?_"

"Yeah?"

"_Please dress normally – my landlord wouldn't stop badgering me about your three-thousand dollar suit the other week._"

I laughed. "Right." I then dialed Mr. Gensai. "Mr. Gensai? I'm going to need some clothes to wear in the general public."

* * *

I knocked on the door, even though I had a spare key anyway. But after a few knocks, I used it and entered.

Every time I walked into his tiny apartment, I felt a wave of guilt and sorrow. This poor guy…

I shut the door behind me and walk past the kitchen/living room and went into his bedroom, where Kenshin was currently sprawled, and his hand that held his ski mask hanging off his bed.

Guilt ate my insides as I gently shook his shoulder. "Kenshin."

He groaned a little before opening one eye. "Oh, sorry…" he muttered.

"Don't worry about it. That's why I have a key, remember?" I said, reminding myself of my father for a few seconds.

"Can you…?" he started, lazily gesturing to his nightstand where his painkillers were.

"Yeah, how many?"

There was a silence that lasted for a good ten seconds until he said, "Two."

Following his demands, I opened the container, took out two pills, and handed them to him. He threw the pills to his mouth, dry-swallowing them. I would never understand how he could do that.

But I supposed after nearly fifteen years of popping pills, he would have to be pretty sufficient.

I was patient, waiting until he felt okay enough to sit up and talk properly. He rubbed his eyes as he brought his legs over the edge of his bed.

"I'm sorry," I said when I was sure he was fully listening.

"It's okay. I know. You don't have to apologize."

"But I do. I take advantage sometimes."

He looked up at me, those large purple eyes that were so inquisitive. Even though I knew he wasn't trying to read my mind, I still felt that I was subjected to his perceptive nature.

"Everything you do is for the best of this city. And what's best is to have Shikku and me be a mystery."

Of course. Count on Kenshin to be so naïve. This situation was so black and white to him. To him, it was all or nothing. He didn't have anything – he gave his all to this cause.

But he was like that as a kid.

"Do you have a TV in this dump?"

He laughed a little. "No. Where do you think I would get the money for that?"

"From me, obviously. You're getting a TV, and you're not going to worry about the bills, okay?"

Kenshin sighed, knowing by now it was absolutely useless to argue. "Okay. Thanks."

I slapped him on the back. "No problem." My phone then vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to find it was Natsumi calling.

The corner of my mouth tugged a little as I answered the call.

"Hey," I said.

"_Hi, Enishi. I think we should talk about our ridiculous fight the other week._"

"I agree."

"_Do you want to meet at that new restaurant that _The Daily Word_ talked about today?_"

"Sure. I'll send a limo for you. I'll see you at eight?"

"_Perfect_. _I'll see you later_."

I sighed as I hung up, feeling a lot better now that we were going to make up.

I turned to look at Kenshin and I was surprised to see a whirlwind of emotions in his eyes: jealousy, loneliness, pain…

"So! It's a Friday night…what're you doing tonight?" I asked, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Same thing I do every night," he answered without any irony.

"Come on," I said, nudging him with my shoulder. "Go out! Hook up with a pretty girl. You're not bad looking."

"You know I'm not into that."

"You can still go out with friends."

He looked at me again with eyes that were glossed with loneliness. "What friends, Enishi? Everyone must be kept at a distance."

The guilt hit me again.

"You can still go to a bar."

He shook his head a little. "And do what?"

I rolled my eyes. "_Drink_, you idiot."

He gaped at me. "Are you joking, Enishi? Didn't you pay attention in high school health class?"

"Uh, _hell_o, I didn't _go_ to public high school, remember?" I shot back with an annoyed expression.

"I'm constantly on painkillers! Do you really think that's a great idea to be mixing alcohol? I don't think so."

I widened my eyes. "Oh my God…_that's_ why you don't drink. I can't believe I never –"

He gave a weary sigh, strikingly reminding me of Mr. Gensai. "Yes."

Suddenly, life never seemed so good for me.

* * *

A/N: I think this weekend I'm going to post my second collection of oneshots…so keep an eye out for that ;)

Please review!

MissGoalie


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Three

_Kenshin_

At ten in the morning while I was eating my second bowl of cereal, completely spacing out, someone knocked on my door.

I stopped daydreaming and recognized two minds outside my door. TV installation. Enishi would have it done in a day.

I sighed and walked the short distance to open the door, and I was astonished to find a rather large box in between the two men. Enishi…

"Kenshin Himura?" one asked.

I nodded. "Yes…" I said slowly.

"We're here to install your TV and cable service."

I held the door open for them. "How big is that television?"

"Uh, about fifty inches diagonal."

I looked up to the ceiling and shook my head. "Alright…uh…I think the only place where that is going to fit is over there…" I pointed to the wall in front of my rundown couch before picking up my bowl again and eating.

Their minds were rather simple, just focusing on getting the job done, which was nice. "If you need anything I'll just be in down the hall."

I went into my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and I was about to go out and start washing the dishes when my phone rang. It was a generic ringtone, meaning it wasn't Enishi.

That meant…

I dived across the bed to get my phone. "Hello?"

"_Kenshin?_"

"Kaoru! Hi! What's up?" Why did I sound like a thirteen-year-old _boy_?

She laughed a little. "_Nothing too exciting. I was hoping that we could go out and get some coffee._"

"I'd love to…but some guys are at my house installing a TV…so…can I meet you in an hour or so?"

"_Yeah, no problem. Where do you want to go? Starbucks?_"

I winced. So expensive…but I supposed I could use a little of the money that Enishi had given me, even though that was supposed to be for my rent. "Sure, which one? I think there are about fifty or so in this city."

"_Well, where do you live?_"

"Seventeenth and Abbey."

"_I live on twenty-fifth and Summit. So I suppose we can meet at around…_"

"Twentieth East and Hiatt," I said automatically.

I could practically hear her smiling on the other line. "_Right. I'll see you in an hour._"

After I hung up I thought, _Shit, what am I supposed to wear?!_

* * *

_Kaoru_

He strode into the Starbucks looking windswept. I was struck by how beautiful he really was, despite his worn jeans, wrinkled buttoned top and messy red hair.

"Hey, I'm _so_ sorry. It was something about my outlet not working?" he explained in a breathless voice.

"It's fine," I said, feeling breathless myself.

He went straight to the cashier and ordered a black coffee. He proceeded to go and add both milk and sugar.

"There's something about Starbucks coffee…it's really bitter," he said, putting the cardboard sleeve on his drink. "What did you get?"

"One of their seasonal lattes."

"Ah, so you can't take the bitterness either," he replied perceptively.

"Well, I just like their fun drinks."

He stared at my cup thoughtfully. "I never tried one. It's kind of…_not masculine_…if you know what I mean."

I held out my drink to him. "Today's the day."

I _never_ shared my drink with _any_ guy before. I always had a sort of "germophobia" when it came to that. But I had no problems with this.

He took a small sip, and a thoughtful look passed his face. "It's not bad. But it is a little sweet, I'll admit." He handed it back to me, and our hands brushed.

He felt it too, I could tell.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked.

I nodded. He opened the door for me. Sadly outdated chivalry, indeed.

"So…you got a TV," I started.

"Yeah, it's pretty exciting. I haven't watched TV in a long time."

"Since college?"

"Yeah. I mean, what about you?"

I flushed a little. "I'm kind of lucky. I had a job waiting for me after college and a distant family member happened to die…so I got a good amount of cash to start off with. I was able to get a TV pretty early."

"That is fortunate…but I'm very sorry about your distant family member."

"It's fine. To be honest, my dad was just waiting for her to kick the bucket so I could get money."

He laughed out loud, but his eyes were wide with surprise. "He didn't like her, I guess."

"No, not really. Apparently she was just an unhappy person."

I looked over at him. The hand not holding his coffee was in his pocket and his stride was fluid and casual. He didn't strut, but he walked with purpose.

"What do you do?" I asked.

He ran his top teeth over his bottom lip for a moment before looking up at the nearly cloudless sky.

"I work at a community service organization. I mostly do paperwork. Not exactly what I had in mind…but it pays."

I decided not to prod.

"What about you?" he asked suddenly.

"I'm a journalist."

He raised his auburn eyebrows. "You had that position waiting for you?"

I flushed in embarrassment. I really didn't like talking about how fortunate I was for a recent graduate. "I had an internship at _The Daily Word_ and my boss liked me then."

"That's really great. Are you working on anything right now?"

My frustrations came back to me fast and hard. I furrowed my brows. "Ugh, as a matter of fact, I am. And it's just _so_…difficult."

He cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"

"Did you see the cover of _The Daily Word_ the other week with Shikku on it? He was standing on the building."

"Yes…"

"Okay well to the left there's this masked figure. The picture is grainy…but my colleague mentioned him in it. The 'Unidentified Sidekick.'" I groaned loudly, my annoyance getting the best of me. "I swear to God if I don't get a freaking _name_ to him…"

He smiled a little, but his eyes seemed troubled. Noticing me stare at him, his eyes changed to that of thoughtfulness.

"Do you think you could…I don't know…give some insight on the subject? Maybe as to _why_ somebody doesn't want to be known even though he's in company with a superhero?" I asked.

A person walking around with a large trash bag yelling, "Throw your trash in the garbage, not on the street! Clean our city!" passed us by and Kenshin threw his coffee in. This city was just so strange.

"Well…maybe he doesn't want credit for anything…" he said carefully. "Speaking as someone who does community service related things…maybe he's just trying to help the city in his own way…whatever way that is," he added quickly.

That made a lot of sense. That definitely helped me put some sort of personality to his name.

"So…you've talked to him," he assumed.

"Yes. Twice."

A strange expression came across his face for the briefest moment before he said, "Maybe he's so used to being alone that he's not used to having people interested in him." He then smiled at me. "Especially someone like you."

I blushed like a schoolgirl. "Thanks…but I'm pretty sure he doesn't think I'm really that great of a person."

"Why do you say that?"

I sighed, thinking about what the Unidentified Sidekick said about my just wanting a story to write. "He thinks that I'm just using him to write a story. And at first…that was true. But now…especially the second time I saw him and he was just…" My nose began to hurt, the first telltale sign of tears. "I want to help him. Especially if you think that he's used to being alone."

It was so hard to explain what Kenshin's bright eyes did to me at that moment. They were shining with admiration and something else…

But then his cell phone rang and completely shattered the moment.

He closed his eyes and reached into his pocket. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

His eyes widened. "Shit. I have to go."

He was about to start running, but he stopped himself short and put his hand on my forearm. "Could you call me later?" he asked in such an earnest way that there was no way I could say no.

"Yeah."

He smiled with relief. "Okay. Next time I'll call you, I promise."

I laughed as I watched him run away, expertly weaving through the crowd with a grace that I could never possess.

But I supposed that was a good result for staying in a city his whole life.

* * *

_Enishi_

This guy was just too goddamn fast. I could barely see him.

And Kenshin wasn't helping either. He was barely projecting what this guy was going to do. I would've checked behind me to see what the hell he was doing, but then Speedy Gonzales would've kicked my ass.

Not that he wasn't already.

_Behind you -, _I heard Kenshin say in my head, but I wasn't fast enough to quite get out of the way.

Speedy brought his sword to my neck and for a moment, I had to accept the fact that I couldn't win this fight.

"My name is Tenken, Shikku. You are an admirable fighter…but simply not fast enough for me. My master wishes for you to keep an eye out for him. He will come for you."

With that he disappeared.

I finally looked over at Kenshin, and he had his head between his knees. I then looked down over the edge and saw people starting to congregate, so I quickly grabbed Kenshin and shot up in the sky.

"_Enishi_!" he screamed. "I fucking _hate_ when you do that!"

But then he brought a hand to his head before passing out.

He was rather light, so it wasn't that much of a hassle flying him back to my apartment. I owned the entire top floor so it wasn't as if I had to practice any stealth. Mr. Gensai was right there to help me bring Kenshin to the couch overlooking the city skyline.

When Mr. Gensai removed Kenshin's mask, he visibly winced. "You work him too hard, Enishi. Look."

I walked over to him as I took off my cap, but I froze when I saw a trickle of dried blood from under his nose. Shit.

"You just change, Master Enishi, I'll take care of Kenshin."

I didn't even glance at Kenshin again – I went straight to the bathroom to clean my wounds (which were minimal, thank God, how was I going to explain a gash from a sword to Natsumi?) and shower.

By the time I had stepped out in a new suit (I was meeting Natsumi for dinner again) Kenshin was up, still laying on the couch with his leg draped over the edge and his eyes staring straight at the ceiling.

"Hey," he said, not looking over.

"Hey. How are you?"

"My head hurts like a mother."

I almost rolled my eyes. "You want to explain what happened back there?"

He looked over at me. "It was hard to read his mind. He was strangely emotionless."

"So now in order to read minds, they need to have emotions?"

His stare grew hard. "It certainly helps," he replied rather acidly.

He then sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. He could never actually carry out an argument, especially with me.

"Did you get anything?"

He whipped his head to face me again. "Are you _joking_? I was too busy trying to read his next move for you!"

"Sorry," I muttered. "He did mention something about his _master_…whatever that means. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough."

There was a long silence. I checked my watch to see how much time I had until I had to kick Kenshin out.

"Fire," he said.

"What?"

"I saw a low of fire."

"So what does that mean? He's a pyro or something?"

"No. Not him. Possibly his boss."

"That's great."

Silence.

"That guy you were fighting with…did he say you were going to see him again?" he asked.

"Yeah."

He became thoughtful. "Perhaps I should fight him. With my fighting style…perhaps it would be enough to beat his speed?"

I felt really weird after he said that. What the hell was he suggesting? That I didn't have what it takes to beat Speedy Gonzales? _Tenken_ or whatever the hell his name was?

"No. It wouldn't work," I found myself saying, not exactly knowing why it wouldn't.

He sat up and turned to face me. "Why not? I could pretend to be you – spandex and all – and fight him!"

"Yeah, small problem," I added, coming up with a reason. "You're going to have to flee from the scene immediately afterward – you're going to have to _fly_, which you can't do." His face fell a little. "Not to mention the fact that you are _not_ my size. Jesus, Kenshin."

What happened next surprised me so much that I actually took a step backward: he _glared_ at me. And not in the playful way that I had expected. "At least I came up with an otherwise viable option." He shook his head. "Whatever. I wouldn't want to wear that ridiculous costume anyway."

_Whoa_. He did _not_ just say that? What the hell _happened_?

His phone rang in his pocket and it was a ringtone I had never heard before. He reached into his pocket and _smiled_ when he saw the number.

"Hey," he said, still smiling. Pause. "It's fine, I'm not doing anything." Pause. Pain fleeted across his face. "I really would, but my head is just killing me right now. I don't know if I could handle it." Pause. "How about lunch tomorrow? I know this really good diner – the Akabeko. I'll text you the address later." Pause. "Great! I'll see you then." He hung up, texted something, and closed his phone while looking peaceful.

"Who the fuck was that?" I asked.

"Nobody," he said a little too quickly for my taste.

I narrowed my eyes. "It was a girl."

He narrowed his eyes. "So what?"

"Be careful, Kenshin. You don't want to get into a relationship right now."

Annoyance clearly flashed in his eyes. "You literally said that I should hook up with people."

"Yeah, but meeting for _lunch_ doesn't usually fall under _hooking up_. Besides, didn't _you_ say that you weren't into that?"

He stood up. "Look, it's fine, we're just friends. You don't have to worry." He took a breath and sat there in silence for a while.

_If he has nothing to say, why won't he leave already?_, I practically shouted in my head.

Damn it.

His lips parted a little as his eyes grew wider. But then a second later his face grew hard. "Fine, I'll leave you so you can bang Natsumi sooner – you can skip the whole dinner façade like the last time," he spat, walking past me.

When the door slammed shut, I allowed myself to really think.

Something was happening to Kenshin. It was small change, but it was noticeable. And I didn't have to be a mind reader to know it was this girl that was beginning to change my loyal friend.

I was going to find out she was and end this relationship.

"Mr. Gensai! Get my P.I. on the phone," I called out.

Mr. Gensai came into the room with a disapproving expression. "What are you doing, Enishi?"

"I need him to follow Kenshin but keep a far distance so he won't be able to read his mind."

Mr. Gensai shook his head. "That's wrong."

"No, what's wrong is him risking our operation by going out with a girl."

"You're being hypocritical. You could say the same about you and Natsumi."

"That's completely different – I only hook up with her. And then I push her away. She's never close."

"You love her, Master Enishi, don't try and fool yourself. You would tell her all about Shikku…but you don't for her safety."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "But…I was a womanizer before her. I'm used to pushing girls away. He's not. He has never hooked up with a girl without being in a relationship. I can't let him make this risk."

"From what I heard, he doesn't like your train of thought on his personal business. I think you're doing quite enough to control his life." He paused for a moment, staring at me hard. "You are so much like your father. So controlling."

I gave an exasperated sigh. "Not the point!"

"Then what is the point?" he asked.

"The point is that Kenshin will not be able to handle balancing his hectic life and that girl. There's absolutely no way. He's going to blab everything like a twelve-year-old girl and then everyone will know that Shikku and Enishi Yukishiro are one in the same!"

"I think the last thing you should do is belittle his character. He's a good person and won't do anything to harm you. He puts you before himself…didn't you know that? That's why this city knows you and not him." He turned around and said, "I'll send a car to Miss Natsumi, yes?"

"That would be great, thanks," I muttered.

* * *

_Kenshin_

I was more hurt than anything else. Enishi was just so hypocritical it drove me up the wall. One day, he was being a good friend and caring about me, and then the next goes around telling me that I can't have anyone in my life.

I wasn't going to obey him on that one. There was no way I was letting Kaoru go.

There was something about her…as cheesy as it was.

But it was so very simple: I was attracted to her at such a basic, human level. We got along so easily and every moment I spent with her, the more I knew that we were meant to know each other.

Just knowing her, and her knowing me, made my days just a little bit better.

But even with this comfort, it wasn't enough to brush away what Enishi said to me.

So I took six pills, more than I ever had before, and passed out on my bed.

* * *

A/N: Please review! It makes me happy :)

MissGoalie


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Four

_Kenshin_

I was groggy when I woke up, and I didn't even wake up on my own; my phone did that for me. I couldn't tell which ringtone it was: Kaoru or Enishi. Throwing a hand onto my nightstand, I grasped my phone and brought it up to my face. Kaoru.

I closed my eyes and answered it. "Hullo?"

"_Kenshin? Were you…were you _sleeping_?"_

"Mmhmm."

"_We were supposed to meet for lunch, remember?_"

"SHIT!" I nearly fell off the bed scrambling up. "I'm _so_ sorry, Kaoru, I just took a lot of painkillers last night and they just knocked me out and –"

She laughed, which was a relief. "_It's okay. Calm down. I'm just reading the paper right now – I'll still be here when you come._"

"I'll be there in ten minutes!"

"_You'll be here in twenty,_" she said wisely before hanging up.

* * *

It did take me twenty minutes to get changed, avoid my landlord, and run to the Akabeko. But I got there nonetheless and I found her at a booth calmly reading the paper. I slid into the seat across from her, trying to keep my labored breathing quiet.

She looked up and smiled at me. "Hi."

I smiled back. "Hey. Look, I'm sorry, I _never_ do this. I'm never going to take more than four again."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "How many pills did you take to make you not wake up until twelve? And you wouldn't have woken up at that time anyway if it wasn't for me!"

I took the glass of iceless water in front of me and sipped it. "Six." I didn't look at her.

In her mind I could read shock. And then worry. "I know that I haven't known you for very long…and I know I'm not your doctor…but you really should be careful. You don't want to overdose or anything."

I raised my gaze to her concerned eyes and tried to smile. "It's okay. Besides, my head actually isn't hurting right now, despite the noise." I nodded toward the paper at the end of the table. "How's the paper?"

She opened it to reveal Shikku on the front and a few lines going across the picture, which I assumed was Tenken. The headline was: HAS SHIKKU FOUND HIS MATCH?

I slowly reached over for the paper. This wasn't good.

"It basically says that Shikku wasn't able to beat this guy who's incredibly fast…and it goes on to talk about this new gang or something. There have been a lot of crimes involving burn victims and fires…"

Fire. It must be related to Tenken. And his master, who must be behind it all.

"Something big is going on. I'm worried," she said before a waitress came to our table.

"Are you two ready?" the waitress asked.

_WOW! This guy is _gorgeous_. I can't wait to tell everyone the girls – he's unreal!_

I tried to hide my heated face behind my bangs.

"I'll have a Cobb salad without the avocado," Kaoru said, handing over her menu.

The waitress looked over at me.

_Hot, hot, hot!_

"I'll just have pancakes, thanks," I said quickly, handing my menu to her as well.

She took way too long writing down our orders before finally walking away. I sighed deeply.

I looked over at Kaoru to find her staring at me bemusedly.

"What was that about?" she asked.

I bit my lip, trying to think of a story. "Um…well…I overheard her saying that I was…_hot_…the last time I was here. She doesn't know that I know…but still."

There was a seed of truth in it, and I think it was enough for her to accept. And…did she just _blush_?

"So…have you seen this sidekick lately?" I asked, not wanting to go down that track of thought.

She smiled. "You mean in between yesterday and today?"

I shrugged. "You never know."

"No, I haven't. Well, kind of. I did see him fly with Shikku."

Any remnants of blood that was still in my face after the waitress debacle disappeared completely. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of happy that Shikku is finally beginning to take care of him, you know?"

I couldn't let her think that way. Maybe it was an act of selfishness on my part, but I didn't want her to be deluded. "That may not be the case. He never really cared before, had he? But this time he does – there must've been some reason."

Kaoru looked pensive. "Hmmm…maybe."

"I would still stick by him. Be there for him. He probably needs someone like you more than ever."

Why the _hell_ would I make this harder on myself? It was just making life more difficult for me, but I couldn't deny the fact that I did need her.

After about fifteen minutes of pointless chatter (I found out her favorite movie at the moment was _Vertigo_, her favorite ice cream flavor was Rocky Road, and her favorite _Harry Potter_ book was the third installment), our food came, and that waitress's thoughts were echoing in my head, bringing back my headache.

When she left, I brought my head into my hand and started to rub my forehead.

"Head hurts?" she asked sympathetically.

"Unfortunately. It was good while it lasted." I looked up at her and shrugged.

She shook her head. "It's such a shame. Can't you try something –?" Kaoru's phone rang, cutting her off. "Hello?" Pause. "I'm actually out to lunch with someone. Can I meet you at the office in a half hour?" Pause. "Come on, Kamatari, please?" Pause. "Thank you!" She hung up. I laughed a little at her grin.

I started cutting my pancakes when she said, "So…you think I should continue to wait for him? Even though he yells at me every time I do so?" Her eyebrows were raised.

I looked up at the ceiling and thought of how to word this properly. "I think…like a lot of people…he has barriers. Obviously, he has to be secretive and he can't have people close to him. But…if you're persistent enough…I think he'll realize that…he needs you. A lot more than he wants to believe."

She nodded. "Wow. You're just…incredible. Really. So _intuitive_, actually. Do you get that a lot?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, some people have said that. I like to think that I… _get_ the ways the mind can work."

She speared a piece of grilled chicken with her fork. "Did you ever consider becoming a psychiatrist?" she asked.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek hard so I wouldn't say, "Yes, but Enishi took that away from me," even though it wasn't completely true. I knew I couldn't continue with school after college – I had an obligation to help Enishi save the city.

"I wouldn't have been able to afford it – I'm still paying off student loans as it is," I lied. While it was true I had to take out loans to go to college, Enishi had already paid for everything as a "Thank you."

We finished our meals in a comfortable silence. She delicately wiped her mouth with a napkin before reaching into her pocketbook.

"Oh, it's fine, I have it," I said, wanting to reach over to stop her hand.

"It's okay, Kenshin, I've got it, don't worry about it," she replied dismissively, taking out a few bills before grabbing the check that the waitress had dropped off a few minutes ago and bringing it to the cashier.

I sighed. I was rather glad that she took the check, because I didn't think I would have enough to pay for both our meals and tip the waitress. But there was still my honor as a guy to consider.

When she sat back down, I knew she read my distressed facial expression.

"Kenshin, it's okay. I still think you're the most chivalrous guy I've ever met," she said reassuringly. And for a strange, fierce moment, I could really see myself falling in love with her.

"Besides," she added, reaching over the table to touch my hands that idly rested there. "I'm not judging you."

She was about to pull away, but I gripped her hands a little to keep them there. "Do you want to hang out at a quieter place next time?"

She looked into my eyes for a moment, comically looking as if she was trying to read my mind before something clicked in her head. It was literally like a light bulb turning on; that expression is correct.

"Oh! Duh, obviously. Your head. Yeah, of course. Whose apartment?"

Now it was my turn to try reading her mind, but I couldn't really see what she meant. "What do you mean?"

"We can hang out at your apartment or mine."

A light bulb of my own switched on. "Oh. Well…I'd rather not show you mine."

She rolled her eyes. "Kenshin…"

"Please. I'd just…rather not." I let out a sigh. "I can cook you dinner at your place," I offered.

She then smiled triumphantly. "Okay then. But you'll have to bring everything. All the food."

Shit. I couldn't do that. I didn't have the cash for that. I wanted to make a nice meal for her.

I gave in. "Fine. We'll do it at _my_ apartment."

She grinned. "Okay!" She slipped her hands back to swing her purse onto her shoulder. "So you'll call me later about specifics?"

"Yeah, I will." I stood up with her, walking out of the Akabeko with her. When she was about to walk away, I said, "Shikku can handle whatever's going to happen. He'll be ready."

She craned her head and smiled. "I hope so."

* * *

_Kaoru_

I was on cloud nine. Hanging out with Kenshin just felt amazing. I loved talking to him – it was like he was so in tune to my emotions and thoughts and we clicked perfectly. We had good chemistry.

Kamatari immediately noticed my peaceful expression.

"Alright, girl, you're going to have to spill."

"About what?" I asked airily, practically gliding to my workspace.

"You were out with a _boy_ and a _cute_ one at that."

I grinned. "Yeah, I was. But we're just friends. He's just…" I shake my head. "I don't know. He's a gentleman."

He smirked. "Right…well let's hope he's not _too_ much of a gentleman where it _really_ matters."

I would've slapped him on the arm, but he was still my boss. "Kamatari!" I flushed.

He laughed at my prudishness.

"What did you want me here for?" I asked pointedly.

"Oh, yes! Well, I've read your notes on that story you were working on about the U.S."

_What?_ "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The U.S. – The Unidentified Sidekick. It's really fascinating – I think you should do a cover on it."

I thought my jaw dropped to the floor. _Me_ doing a _front-page_ article? It would solidify me as a _real_ journalist! For a moment, I was so excited that I could barely speak.

But then _his _pain-filled eyes flashed across my thoughts and I knew I couldn't do it to him.

"Kamatari…I'm so honored…but…I can't do it. I really can't."

He cocked his head to the side. "Why not? This is the story you've been waiting for!"

"I know, and when I finally cornered him, I felt that too. But…I talked to him for a little…and he's just a normal guy who's in this messed up situation where he gets absolutely no credit for anything he does. But he doesn't _care_. He just does what's best for this city."

Kamatari stared at me blankly. "You're strangely passionate about this." His face broke into a slow smile. "This is sounding like a soap opera! On one hand, you have a regular gentleman that just seems oh-so perfect, but _then_ on the other hand you have this mysterious man whom you know nothing about, but you're _so_ drawn to him."

Heat filled my cheeks. "Stop it. Besides, I don't even _know_ what he does with Shikku. He could end up being a no one."

"Oh, Kaoru, I would've believed you if you hadn't clearly wrote down that you believe he does _something_ to help Shikku. I would really like a full-out interview with him."

I was about to argue with him more, but someone came running over to us with an ashen face.

"Shikku is in a _huge_ fight right now. The building's on _fire_! There's so much fire."

Kamatari looked over at Kaoru. "Go and try and find that masked man. Be careful."

True concern was in his eyes, and I forgave him momentarily. "I will."

* * *

There _was_ a lot of fire. The apartment building was emptied already, thank goodness, but Shikku and this mysterious villain were battling it out on the roof. This villain was strange – he was completely bandaged from head to foot and he was _shooting fire from his hands_.

I supposed there were other people in this world with extraordinary powers.

Shikku's costume was torn and ripped, blood stains apparent even from the sidewalks. I felt a pang of sympathy.

But then Shikku was on the ground and the villain let out this hellish cackle that sent shivers down my spine.

"Getting a little tired, Shikku? Is that all you can do?" the villain yelled throwing fire at Shikku's body, but Shikku rolled away quickly from it. "Maybe you need a little…_motivation_."

He began looking through the crowds and I couldn't _move_. He was so frightening. Even from down here, I could tell that this man was _mad_.

And then his eyes locked on mine.

* * *

_Kenshin_

Honestly, this guy wasn't as difficult to read as Tenken, but I felt horrible reading his mind. It was awful – full of fire, madness, but calmness at the same time. He _knew_ he was right. There wasn't any sort of turmoil in his train of thought.

But Enishi wasn't doing well. It was hard to get close to Shishio, which was his name, without getting burned. And whenever Enishi voiced his pain in his mind, I felt it too.

And then Shishio stopped. I went into his mind and read his searching through the crowd. He noted a young girl, dressed nicely with ivory skin, dark hair and blue eyes. A perfect victim.

_No_. It couldn't be.

Shishio shot up in the sky with fire trailing beneath him like a human jet. He flew down and grabbed the girl before flying her high again until he was level with Enishi.

It was _Kaoru_.

_ENISHI! DO SOMETHING! _I yelled to him.

Enishi grabbed his head as if he was in physical pain.

The crowd was gasping and yelling, their fear-filled thoughts breaking through the barriers of my mind. I was shaking with my fear and the fear of everyone in the city.

"I can see you're too weak to stop me. But no matter – we'll meet again." Shishio cackled again and flew away, leaving away a trail of fire, but not before loosening his grip on Kaoru's wrist and letting her fall to her death.

"_KAORU!_" I screamed, but I wasn't heard beyond everyone else's screams.

Why wasn't Enishi _flying to get her_?

But then Enishi suddenly stood up perfectly straight, flew up, and then shot down to the pavement, managing to catch her. He gently put her down, and thousands of people flocked to them.

I let out a sigh of relief before I heard, _KENSHIN, WHAT THE FUCK!_

It was Enishi. I tried to read more from him, but he managed to shut me out.

Or maybe that was me just losing my strength to search his mind from too far away.

I got to my feet with surprising speed and ran over to the fire escape to go and find Kaoru.

* * *

_Kaoru_

Shikku's eyes were bright amber, I managed to note before he shook his head and revealed bright blue eyes. He didn't look at me and just shot up in the sky, leaving me to the dozens of people asking for my wellbeing.

The Sidekick's eyes were amber too.

I then made the connection – was he a _mind controller_?

I broke away from everyone, pushing my way through to the alleys where I hoped to find him and demand answers.

A hand shot out in the dark and grabbed my arm, bringing me into the cover of darkness.

It was the Sidekick. He brought his hands onto my shoulders, looking at every inch of me, his eyes so full of worry and concern.

And then he brought his masked face close to mine and rested his forehead against mine.

"Thank God you're okay. Kaoru, I was so scared you have no idea. _Jesus_, you could've been killed," he rambled quietly, totally and completely freaking out.

But then he pulled away suddenly and was about to run away before I grabbed his arm.

"Are you…a mind controller…or something? When Shikku saved me…his eyes was _amber_, like yours."

He looked at me and it looked as if something clicked in his mind.

"That was…the first time I had ever done something like that," he admitted, taking a few steps closer to me.

"Then what do you normally do?"

He screwed his eyes shut for a few moments before opening them. "I read minds."

And finally, all the puzzle pieces, the ones that I had no idea where they would go, magically went to their rightful places. Everything became clear.

"You…you read the bad guys' thoughts…and you…"

"Tell Shikku mentally what their moves are and he fights them," he finished for me.

"Oh my God."

He was more important than I ever thought possible. Shikku was nothing more than a middleman. The real hero was the Sidekick.

I swallowed. "Can you…read my thoughts?"

I strangely knew that underneath his mask, he was biting his lip. "Not as well as everyone else. If I put a lot of effort in, then yes. But I don't like reading peoples' minds." By the way his eyes crinkled a little, I knew he was smiling. "It's refreshing not hearing your thoughts as well. It's a good thing."

He took a step closer and rested his forehead on mine again. He let out a sign of relief.

But then everything shifted. He was no longer trying to comfort himself by being close to me. I stopped breathing and for a brief moment, I closed my eyes and tilted my head the tiniest bit.

But then I realized with a horrible pang that his mask was in the way. I opened my eyes and then he ran away.

* * *

_Kenshin_

That was the first time that I wanted to rip off my mask in front of her. It was so symbolic that I nearly laughed out loud as I walked back to my apartment. Of course the mask was in the way of my kissing her. It was _so_ true. Because of my secret identity, I could never let her get that close to me.

When I reached my apartment, I realized how dirty I felt. Just reading Shishio's mind disturbed me and made me feel tainted. My head was a throbbing ache.

"_Hey_! Where's my _rent_?"

I blatantly ignored him as I went to unlock the door, only to find that it already was.

I could've sworn that I locked it…

On my guard, I slowly opened the door, but I only found Enishi pacing around. When he saw me, he stopped and gave me the filthiest look I had ever seen.

I shut the door behind me, and I swore that it was taking everything he had to not attack me.

"What the _hell_ did you do?" he yelled.

My eyes widened. "What do you –?"

"You _fucking_…you _did_ something to me!"

I thought back to when Kaoru said Enishi's eyes were amber when he saved her and when she asked me if I was a mind controller.

"Enishi…" I started.

"You took away my _free will_."

I bit my lip and ran a hand through my hair and left it there, gripping hard. "I'm _so _sorry – I had _no idea_ that would happen! That it _could_ happen!" I released my hair and anxiety was just flowing through my veins and fueling my headache. "It's not like I got any _pleasure_ out of it."

Enishi took a threatening step closer. "That was the girl, wasn't it? Kaoru?" He gave a mirthless laugh. "It would be her. You wouldn't have screamed bloody _murder_ if it wasn't her."

"Would you have rather had her _die_?"

"No, of course not, she deserves protection like everyone else here." He glared at me again. "But _not_ special treatment."

"You were weak! You weren't going to make it in time!" I said in a high voice.

"You fucked up, Kenshin." He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have to stay away from her. She's clearly having a bad and destructive influence on our operation."

He stalked out past me, ramming into my shoulder on his way out. Even after he shut the door, I continued to stand there, my shallow breaths were the only noise filling my small, pitiful apartment.

I bit my lip hard, wanting nothing more than the pain in my head to just go away. Thinking that was doable, I go to my room, pop open the container and took six pills again before promptly passing out.

I really didn't like this new schedule.

* * *

A/N: So this is the last update for over a week – I'm going away with my family until the 22nd.

Please review!

MissGoalie


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Hey everyone! It's good to be back :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Five

_Kenshin_

The past week had been strangely quiet – nothing had happened. No attempted murder, no burglary, nothing. It had put me on edge more than it had relaxed me. Even though lately I hadn't needed to take more painkillers, I would've almost rather have had to take more and _do_ something than wait around for something to happen.

Because I knew that was what Enishi and I were doing: we were waiting for something to happen.

But I hadn't talked to Enishi in a week. What I did last week was unforgiveable, even if it wasn't on purpose. I had to somehow learn how to control my powers; even though my body usually managed to limit my abilities due to the extreme pain it brought me.

Because nothing had happened this past week, I hadn't seen Kaoru as the Unidentified Sidekick or as just Kenshin. She had been getting swamped with work.

"_It's totally because of what happened last week and how I almost died. It's a perverted way of saying that he cares about me. Even though I want to smack him with the amount of useless stuff he's having me do,_" she explained over the phone in a huff.

I laughed a little before saying seriously, "Well could you blame him? You almost _did_ die. He feels guilty about sending you there." When I first heard that her boss sent her there, I wanted to go over and beat the crap out of him.

"_I know, I know._" Silence. "_We need to pick a date for dinner! Could it _please_ be this weekend? Because I need _something_ to look forward to right now_."

"Yeah, we can do it Saturday. Here's what you should get…" I paused for a moment, waiting for her to get a pen ready.

"_Yeah…_"

"Are you ready to take this all down?"

"_What do you mean? How much stuff do you need?_"

I sighed. "I'd get out a paper and pen if I were you."

It gave me a little satisfaction to know that I had a knack for something completely normal.

* * *

_Enishi_

I looked over at Natsumi sleeping peacefully and for a brief moment, I forgot what had been plaguing my thoughts for the past week.

I couldn't believe that Kenshin had actually controlled me. It was the scariest sensation: it was if I lost the power to move anything. It felt like a snake had ensnared itself into my nervous system, my muscles, my _mind_.

I didn't know how I was going to look Kenshin in the eye again.

But I knew that it wasn't his fault. He had _no_ idea what he was capable of either…which made it that much more frightening.

My cell phone rang – I had forgotten to put it on vibrate. I quickly picked it up and answered it, but Natsumi was already beginning to shift under the sheets.

"Hello?" I answered quietly.

"_We need to talk._"

I instinctively looked through the window, half expecting him to be standing there. But there was nothing, just the rain pattering on the glass. I knew that voice anywhere. Even though we hadn't spoken in private since I first became Shikku, I knew who it was immediately.

"One second."

I found my discarded pair of boxers and slipped them on before walking to my private study and locking the door.

"Yes?"

"_There are questions that have arisen lately…and the League wants them answered._"

What would the League want with me _now_? I just thought they wanted to register me into the list of superheroes…

"Okay…"

"_Have you, during the past two years, gained a sidekick?_"

I made sure my voice was steady. "No, I haven't. I work solo." I paused for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

"_We have reasons for concern_."

I tried to think back and immediately found their reason. "You mean that one line in _The Daily Word_? That guy? He's nothing. He's just this stupid kid that follows me around. He doesn't do anything; he just watches and stays out of the way."

"_Because you know the rules: if you acquire one, he or she must be registered._"

"I'm aware."

"_Good. You'll be contacted soon._"

The line went dead.

I hated that guy. I hated his shrewd eyes, his arrogant smirk, and the constant smell of cigarettes. Thank God I only had to stand the sight of him twice a year.

"Who was that?"

I turned around to look at Natsumi, wearing my dress shirt from the night before.

"Business."

She pouted, and she looked so adorable. "Do you think you can skip work today? Can we just stay in bed?"

I almost said yes, but then I remembered Kenshin and all my questions surrounding him and his abilities.

"I can't. You know I can't."

She sighed sadly, as if she expected that answer. "Fine. I'll be out the door in ten."

It wasn't said bitterly this time. It was more…resigned than anything. I kissed her softly on the cheek as a silent apology, which I think she understood because she brought her hand to my cheek before walking out.

* * *

"Mr. Gensai!" I called out, walking down to the living room fully dressed, where I found him reading the paper.

"Yes, Master Enishi?" He put down the paper and stood up with his hands behind his back.

"I was wondering…my father also flew. Did he…I don't know…manage to do any sort of research on his abilities while he was alive?"

Mr. Gensai suddenly became solemn. "Yes."

"Really? That's great – could I see all of it?"

"Your father told me that I wasn't to mention any sort of research to you…but if you were to ask, I was to give it to you."

"Please, Mr. Gensai. I need to understand some things."

Mr. Gensai nodded. "Alright. Follow me."

I followed him into his private room to a safe that was hidden behind a wall. He dialed in his code and searched through the contents until he found a small leather-bound book, which he handed to me.

"Thank you. I'm going to my study to read this. Direct all my calls to my secretary," I said to him before quickly rushing to my private office next to my bedroom.

I shut the door and locked it before placing myself in front of my large desktop. Taking a deep breath, I opened it.

There were a lot of complicated formulas and terms that I couldn't wrap my mind around. Genetics was mentioned more than once, which wasn't that surprising.

I typed on the computer in a blank Word document: Genetics hold superpowers?

I turned a page and found a small list of people; two I recognized who I already knew had superpowers. They were like me, heroes of different cities trying to do some good.

I made sure to type up the list.

But then there was page talking about malfunctions and how certain powers didn't work quite as well. From limited studies, what they all had in common was that none of their parents had their ability, or even one at all.

I reached for my cell phone and dialed Kenshin's number.

"_Enishi._"

"Kenshin – you're not going to believe this."

"_What, did Shishio turn himself in?_"

"Not _that_ unbelievable," I scoffed. "Listen: my dad apparently did some research on people with abilities. And there are…or were…people like you! People who had abilities but they were…_malfunctioning_. It was almost as if their bodies were rejecting their abilities."

"_Really?_"

"Yeah, did your mom or dad have your ability?"

"_My mom didn't that I know of…and I don't think my dad did. But I can visit him. I should anyway, I haven't seen him lately._"

A pang of sorrow hit me. His father was alive, but he was so weak he could barely move. I felt terrible for the man, being trapped in such a body.

"Give him my best."

"_I will. I'll let you know._"

"Okay. Bye Kenshin."

"_Bye._"

* * *

_Kenshin_

My dad was in a twenty-four hour care facility that Enishi paid for completely. I owed him so much for it.

Whenever I visited my dad, he was either sleeping beforehand, or he was watching television, but I could tell he wasn't really watching it. His eyes were glazed over, deep in thought.

He was watching television when I found him. I tapped his shoulder and smiled when his eyes met mine.

"Kenshin." He smiled, accentuating how old he looked.

"Hi dad." I went to the back of his wheel chair and pushed him away from everyone until I found a private room that wasn't in use. I pulled a wooden chair in the room so that I was facing him.

It seemed as if every time I visited him, his body continued to die on him even more quickly. Although he was in his mid-fifties, he looked closer to seventy with his entirely white head and knobby limbs.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I've been better," he answered.

I tried to smile, but I think I failed.

"Dad…" I started, shifting in my seat a little. "I was wondering…do you…do you have any…_abilities_? Like…extraordinary abilities. Superpowers if you will." I flushed a little when I finished. It sounded so…_strange_ when the expression was coined.

He gave me a confused expression but there was a certain glint in his eye. "What? No."

I closed my eyes and probed into his mind.

_How does he know about abilities? How did he come to the conclusion that I had one?_

"You're lying. You do…or at least you did at some point," I said, opening my eyes.

He stared at me with wide eyes and his lips sealed. My eyes must've been changing.

"What can you do?"

I read his mind again: _I'm sure I didn't do anything when he was a child…I always made sure that I was of the same shape as all the other dads in the neighborhood…he couldn't know that I had peak physical capabilities…_

"Peak physical capabilities…you mean you were just extremely athletic to the point of being unnatural?" I asked, trying to figure it all out.

"How do you know this?" he whispered.

I projected into his mind: _I can read minds._

He gasped. "My God…"

I nodded. "Mom…didn't have any powers…did she?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. The only ability I think she had was just being very intuitive." He smiled a little. "Maybe that's how you gained that unique ability of yours."

"Yeah…that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Enishi…he told me that his dad found out that people are given abilities through genes. And he said that some people gain abilities but…they're malfunctioned. Like I can't read minds or project thoughts into people's minds without experiencing head pain. I was wondering if that was the same case as you."

He sighed wearily; looking another ten years older if that was possible. "I found out that I was _gifted_ physically when I was about fourteen. I jumped higher than normal kids, normal _adults_; I ran faster, I had more strength. It lasted until you were about nine." He looked down at his weak legs. "That was when my body began to deteriorate. In a year, I couldn't walk for more than a half hour without needing a rest. In two years I needed a cane to even _walk_. It just kept going downhill from there until I couldn't move without exerting all my energy."

I bit my bottom lip. I remembered all of this. I wondered why my dad was so weak when I had distinct memories of him being as healthy as a horse.

All of a sudden, large tears began falling from my dad's eyes down his gaunt cheeks.

"Dad?" I asked quietly.

"I hope…I hope that's not going to happen to you…" he managed to choke out.

"What do you mean?"

"Your _mind_, Kenny." He hadn't called me that in _years_, and it struck me hard. "I'm afraid your mind is going to deteriorate until…" He lowered his head so I couldn't see his face. "I'm so sorry…so sorry…"

My eyes widened at the possibility. But…it wasn't a possibility. It was happening. I knew it was. It was like a cancer, affecting portions of my brain, killing me slowly.

I stood up gradually. "Thanks. I'll visit you as soon as I can."

Tears continued to flow down his face, but I took the cuff of my sleeve to wipe them away.

"I'm fine, really. The pain is nothing. It's just a twinge," I lied, but it comforted him. Rolling him back to the common room, I tried not thinking about anything. I nearly ran out of the facility so I could take deep breaths, hoping to clear my aching head.

The rain was cold and welcoming so this time I didn't bother to run back to my apartment. Instead, I walked as slowly as could, hoping that it would be long enough for me to get all the tears out of my system.

This changed nothing. I would tell Enishi that my father had no ability. And neither did my mother. I wouldn't tell him that my mind was eventually going to stop functioning and I was going to become a vegetable. I would continue helping Enishi until the bitter end.

* * *

_Kaoru_

Shikku was fighting the fast man again, which was a better alternative than fighting with the fire man, but given the torrential downpour, I supposed that he wouldn't have been able to fight. But I didn't watch it for very long – I went straight to the alleyway to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

I was about to leave, figuring that maybe Shikku took the sidekick with him like the last time, but then I saw a black figure slowly climbing down the fire escape. I stood directly below him, but I wasn't sure what that was supposed to do. Protect him if he fell?

But he didn't seem to need my help, as usual. He got down perfectly fine, but what surprised me was that as soon as his feet touched the pavement, he crawled into a ball against the wall, his white, smooth fingers gripping the back of his mask.

My heart broke at the sight of the Unidentified Sidekick crumbling onto the pavement and bringing his head into his arms. Without thinking, I dropped my umbrella and rushed over to him and brought his folded body into mine, ignoring the rain soaking through my clothes.

His cold hands moved from his head to me, bringing my body closer to his, forcing me to stay with him.

Why was this happening? He always seemed so put together, optimistic even. Of course, save for that time where I was close to being killed, but…

This wasn't right.

What could've possibly happened? What sent him over the edge like this? Was it Shikku? Was it his head pains? No, I didn't think it was anything physical. It certainly wouldn't help, but that wasn't the reason.

I wished I knew who he really was. For the first time, I wanted to know every single detail of his life so I could talk to him and bring him out of this. But all I could do for the time being was whisper sweet nothings in his hear, hoping he could hear past the rain pounding the pavement.

"I'm here, I'm right here. I always will." The first phrase that came out of my mouth in proper English.

That seemed to snap him out of it, because his body stopped shaking and his grip loosened on me. I wished I could run my fingers through his hair in a comforting way. It made me sad that I didn't even know the color of his hair. The simple things like that I had no idea about.

What he did next surprised me so much that I couldn't move: he rolled up his mask a little as he inched closer to my face. Cold, wet lips gently met my forehead, sending mind-shattering shocks throughout my body. I wasn't supposed to have this sort of physical response to him, a man that I wouldn't be able to differentiate from any citizen of this crazy city.

But he was quick to leave me sitting in the alleyway, completely frozen to the spot. I didn't feel quite as cold anymore.

* * *

_Kenshin_

Oh my God. I couldn't _believe_ that I did that! Was I completely _mental_? How did I just _do_ that?

My lips still tingled as I ran away from the scene, having already taken off my mask blocks away. I didn't know what to do; this was getting beyond my control. My feelings for Kaoru were spilling out all over the place. I needed to talk to someone about this.

Enishi was out of the question. If he knew how serious my feelings were for her, he would go ballistic.

I couldn't see my dad again. After what happened not even a few hours ago, I couldn't bear it.

The only other person that I could talk to was Hiko…but it would be extremely awkward.

I _really_ wished I had more friends.

But I was desperate. I turned left to go to Hiko's dojo. When I reached the chewed up wooden door, I gently pushed it open.

There were classes going on, and I tried to be quiet as I whisked past them, hoping not to distract the kids. At the end of the narrow corridor, I knocked on Hiko's office door.

"Come in," a gruff voice answered.

I opened it and he briefly looked up at me once, went back to his paperwork, and then looked up again, his eyes taking in the sight of me. I must've looked like a drenched cat.

"You look a cat that got caught in the sewer."

I always could trust the man for being brutally honest. Brutal being the key word.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," I said, shutting the door behind me.

"I would offer you tea…but I just finished the last of it."

"It's fine." I crossed my arms over my chest, trying not to shiver.

We stared at each other in silence for a while until he said, "What the hell are you doing here? Dripping all over my floor, no less."

I took a deep breath. "I've met someone."

"Good for you," he grunted, going back to his reading.

"As both…me and the sidekick."

He stopped what he was doing to look at me in the eye. "Are you serious?"

"She doesn't know that I'm one in the same."

"Does Enishi know?"

"He just knows that _I_ know her. He doesn't know that she's met the unidentified sidekick."

He leaned back in his chair. "He's going to find out," he answered.

"He's not going to get it, though."

"What's there to understand? You're risking your operation."

I wasn't sure if he was playing devil's advocate for my sake, to help me figure out my thoughts, or if he seriously thought this.

"It's just…I _like_ her knowing both sides of me."

"I'm sure it's…liberating…but it's not fair to Enishi."

"It's not fair that I have absolutely _nothing_ in my life because of this," I countered passionately, which took not only Hiko by surprise, but me as well. I shook my head, trying to clear my emotions. "She's making it…painfully obvious that I severely lack…_so_ many things. I can't even let her in, Hiko. I don't even _have_ her, really. I'm constantly aware that I have to watch what I say, because whatever she says to me as the sidekick, Kenshin Himura can't know that also. It's not like this is all fun for me. It's like I'm constantly stabbing myself just so half of my injuries could be stitched up."

I thought that if Hiko were a sentimental person, he would've brought me into a hug or something like that. Instead, he gave me a sympathetic look.

"Kenshin…you idiot…" he sighed.

I groaned and put my face in my hands. "What should I do?"

The chair Hiko sat on creaked a little, so he must've leaned forward onto his desk. "Nothing. You can't do anything. You're stuck."

"Until what?"

"I don't know. Until she finds out or you tell her who you are?"

I never even considered sitting Kaoru down and telling her who I was. "Are you suggesting…?"

"I'm not suggesting anything. It's your life. You're going to have to make decisions for yourself. That's what being an adult is all about."

But I didn't feel like an adult at all. I wasn't even twenty-three yet, and yet I was helping save the city from the shadows. I didn't have a full-paying job, and yet I suffered from work-induced migraines that would've made any other normal person pass out after ten seconds. It was all just so unbalanced and crazy that it made me want to scream until my throat ached.

How did I convince myself to do this? Was I really so conceited that I thought two ambitious kids could single-handedly save an entire city? Did I not even consider the option that being unknown would mean practically ostracizing myself from society?

Was I so convinced by Enishi that the public had to see only one of us? That the one who flew was the most obvious choice, because it drew from previous superheroes? How?

It was a strange combination: being so conceited, yet so selfless.

"What are you thinking?" Hiko asked. I looked up at him to see he was back to his work again.

"I'm thinking…that I didn't think this through at all…and that Enishi was kind of riding on that."

He flipped a page over.

"And…that he took advantage of my devotion to this city…for his own benefit."

He stopped moving.

"That isn't to say he doesn't _care_ about me…it's just…I think he didn't think about me while planning this whole thing. I was just an accessory for him, a tool needed to get the job done."

"Which is…?"

"…Save the city…and be the hero."

He nodded, standing up and walking toward me. "So…now that you've figured it out…what are you going to do?"

He forced me to look at him, his dark eyes penetrating me in ways that I never imagined. It was so frightening that he knew exactly how my mind worked, even if he couldn't actually read it.

"I…I can't imagine saving this city alone. I'm just…I'm just a _kid_. Which is just so weird to say because every kid wants to make it past twenty-one because then you're an adult. You never actually want to be called a kid. But it's true. It's so much responsibility. But…" I felt myself glaring. "I'm fed up with Enishi treating me like I'm not his equal…because without me…he can't do his job."

To my surprise, Hiko smirked. "Good."

* * *

A/N: Uhh...review? That would be nice of you :) (that totally rhymed by the way)

MissGoalie


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: These next 2 chapters are going to be relatively shorter than my usual updates…but to make it up the next chapter will be posted sooner :)

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Six

_Kaoru_

I never liked the supermarket. I always tried to go to the really small ones because in the larger ones I couldn't even begin to make my way through the dozens of isles. But with this list of ingredients that Kenshin had given me, I knew I had no choice.

I had to go to one of the big markets.

It was so large! And it was so bright and (relatively) white and there was just _so much food_.

I immediately went to one of the people that worked there and held out a bill. "Please help me find everything that is on this list," I begged.

He took the money without question and led the way. I couldn't imagine how anyone could do this, so I would have to praise Kenshin later for his skills in the kitchen and in grocery shopping.

* * *

There was an enormous amount of traffic. But it didn't make sense – it was past rush hour. And these people weren't even _trying _to move. Everyone was stopping and staring. So I paid my cab driver and carried my bags to the sidewalk, wanting to see what all the commotion was about.

When I saw the cause, I stopped breathing.

It was a body; at least I thought it was. It reminded me of a particularly disturbing episode of _CSI_. And the _smell_, it nearly made me vomit on the spot.

But the body wasn't the only thing that was scorched. The pavement was as well, words still burning bright in the night: _I'm on the inside._

* * *

I didn't know how I even made it to Kenshin's apartment. But I did, and I just stood in front his door for I didn't know how long. It took me a while to realize that I had to raise a hand, form my hand into a gentle fist, and knock.

I didn't think I made a sound when I brought a hand, which was holding a heavy plastic bag full of food, to the door, but his footsteps were quick on the other side, as if he could sense my distress, which was just a ridiculous assumption. But when he opened the door, his eyes were full of concern. But then he seemed to snap out of his trance because he quickly grabbed the shopping bags out of my death grip and ushered me inside.

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling cold as he opened his fridge to put half the food I bought into it.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I asked.

"We'll do this another night. Are you in the mood for Chinese? Pizza? You have to eat something," he answered.

I shrugged. "I don't care."

"We'll get pizza. It's cheaper," he said, whipping out his cell phone and dialing.

I watched him order, but I couldn't hear anything. Turning my attention to his apartment, I was surprised to see the TV he mentioned the other week – it was so _big_. It felt out of place with all the worn furniture.

When he hung up, he noticed me staring at what was supposed to be the living room and flushed.

"It's not much…but it's a roof over my head, you know?"

"No, it's fine, just…" I started laughing a little. "The TV…"

"I know, it's really obnoxious," he sighed. "There's just no arguing with that guy."

I didn't question that comment. Instead, I took off my heels and tossed them by the front door and jumped onto the couch, which sunk a lot. It was really comfortable.

"Do you want a blanket or something?" he asked.

"Yeah, that would be nice, actually."

He disappeared into a room for a second before coming back with a larger one than I expected. Noticing my confused expression he explained, "It's from my bed. Unfortunately, I don't have any other blankets."

I smiled. "I'll buy you one for your birthday or something. When is that?"

"In June, you have a few months, and by then I won't need one."

"I'll get you one anyway since I'll know for sure that it'll be the only one that you'll get. No one would think to give a blanket to someone with a summer birthday."

"Very true."

He sat down on the couch and gave me more than half of the blanket, but I fixed it so we shared it equally.

"TV?"

"Yeah."

He reached for the remote on his left and turned it on. It was a news station. I immediately recognized what the news channel was covering and I quickly grabbed the remote from his hand and changed it to a channel that was playing a children's show.

"What was that?" he inquired.

I must've started shaking or something because he put an arm around my shoulders and brought my body close to his.

I immediately turned myself into him, my face in the crook of his neck. His breath caught in his throat in surprise, I thought, but then he relaxed.

"I saw it," I murmured into his skin. He smelled so nice. Sandalwood and something masculine that differed from guy to guy. This particular one I was extremely attracted to.

"What happened?"

I took a deep breath; hoping his smell would cleanse me, help me to forget the appalling stench of burnt flesh.

"A man was burned to death. You…you can't even recognize him. Or _her_. I don't even know if it was a woman or a man…it…_God_ Kenshin it smelled so _awful_." I really didn't want to cry, but I felt that I was.

His muscles seized for a moment, but then he relaxed and brought his other arm to wrap around me tightly.

"It's okay. They're going to get this son of a bitch," he said in a low voice, but it was strong.

"Do you think…? Ugh, of course it was that _whack­-job_. It fits…and the message…" I began to shudder.

He froze again. "Message? What message?"

I pulled away a little to look up at him. "He left this…stalker-ish message. _I'm on the inside_."

* * *

_Kenshin_

_I'm on the inside._

No. Way.

What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?! Okay, I had to keep calm. There was no need to panic yet. It wouldn't be productive. Inside…did that mean that Shishio _knew_ the true identity of Shikku? If that was the case…then I was _so_ fucked. But…I felt like Shishio would've used me by now in some way.

Or perhaps it wasn't as severe as that. Maybe…

No, it had to be that. He somehow knew exactly who Shikku really was. Why else would he advertise such a thing?

At that moment, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket.

"Shit," I muttered, sitting up to pull my phone out. It was Enishi, of course. "Hello?"

"_Emergency meeting. Right. Now._"

I groaned. I was so comfortable with Kaoru right next to me, sharing my blanket with the TV creating a nice background noise. "I'm with someone right now."

"_Is it Kaoru?_" I heard his distaste clearly.

"No…yes."

He sighed exasperatingly. "_Kenshin, come on. This is serious!_"

"Look, I just ordered food. I'll see you in about two hours, okay? I'll call you later." I hung up on him and glared at the TV for a few moments before smiling at Kaoru.

"Who was that?"

"My obnoxious friend who bought me the TV. He needs to talk to me about something. He could wait though, for once in his life."

"Who is this mysterious, rich friend of yours?"

"He's just…he got a really big inheritance. He likes to show it off. He helps me out…a lot though. I think it was for helping him get through high school," I lied.

"Huh…interesting."

She was looking down at my comforter and I wished I had just a little more money so I didn't look so goddamn _poor_.

"You put up with a lot of shit," she stated rather than asked.

"I suppose so. Depends on how you look at it," I answered neutrally.

"No, you really do. It's just…I feel bad. Like when I first met you I just knew that you were one of those people that puts everyone before himself."

I couldn't deny that; it was the story of my life.

"I've always been curious about people like you…do you…ever get sick of it? Do you just wish that you can act like every other selfish person out there?"

_Yes_.

But I said, "You're not selfish at all!" not really answering her question.

"Compared to you? Extremely."

"But…look at what you're doing for that sidekick! That's not selfish!"

"Yeah, I mean from an outside perspective it is…and I'm sure to the sidekick it is…but…" She looked down at her hands in a guilty fashion. "I _love_ spending time with him. It's not like I'm doing _just_ a good deed. I _like_ the idea of being his _savior_, almost, you know?"

I didn't care. In fact, it made me _so_ happy that she loved spending time with my other self. And so what if she liked the idea of being my savior? I liked it too.

"I'm sure he doesn't care one way or the other," I only answered.

"I really wish you could meet him, but I doubt he would like the idea of my bringing people to see him like some sort of animal in a zoo, you know?"

"Yeah, I don't think that would be smart," I said, feeling so relieved. That would've been a problem.

There was a knock on my door and I stood up to pay the deliveryman, but I was surprised to see Enishi standing there with my pizza. I never thought I would live to see Enishi carrying something so greasy and cheap.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"I bumped into the guy and paid for you, hope you don't mind," Enishi said coolly, pushing the pizza into my hands and storming into my apartment.

I saw Kaoru turn around to see what was happening and her blue eyes widened. "Uh, Kaoru, this is Enishi, Enishi, this is Kaoru," I said as I placed the pizza onto the wooden table.

Oh God. I never thought I'd see the two of them in the same room.

Enishi smiled, and it was so fake. "Pleasure to meet you. Kenshin's been talking about you a lot recently."

Kaoru and I flushed as she stood up quickly and smoothed out her skirt. "Nice to meet you," she answered back, walking around the couch to join us, holding out her hand, which he shook.

"So…this is the guy who bought your TV," she said after a beat of silence.

"Yeah, the same guy."

Silence.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know that you two…knew each other," she tried again.

"Yeah, we lived on the same block for a few years."

Why was Enishi making this so _painful_?

"I should go. We'll do this another time," she said, smiling nervously and going over to the front door to put on her shoes. "It was nice to meet you," she said to Enishi.

"And you."

"I'll call you," I said.

She came over to me and hugged me tightly. Despite Enishi watching and glaring, I held her tightly. "Thank you for everything," she whispered before kissing me on the cheek and quickly running out the door.

* * *

_Enishi_

This was worse than I thought; those two clearly had feelings beyond friendship. But I had to admit, those two looked really good together. I could actually see them walking down the street together, laced hands and all. And I could see her living in this shithole apartment, trying to make it look better than it did.

"What are you thinking?" he asked me out of politeness with his arms casually crossed over his chest.

"Why don't you just read my mind?" I snapped without really meaning to.

He sighed, as if dealing with a petulant child, which just pissed me off more. "Enishi, stop. You're here; you kicked Kaoru out, which, by the way, was _so_ rude. I was going to see you in less than an hour. I know that you're nervous about this whole…Shishio thing."

I was flabbergasted by how _calm_ he was by this! "Excuse me? Are you seriously acting as if he just left a post-it note on a window? He _burned a person and left a message in fire on the road_!"

Kenshin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Look. We have to keep calm. So…let's assume that he knows who you are. That means he has someone on his side that works with you. Why can't you just…get everyone you've ever worked with in the same room…and I'll read some minds and see if it's anyone there."

I stared at him blankly. "This doesn't scare the shit out of you?"

He opened his eyes. "Of course it does, Enishi. Shishio is the scariest thing that I've seen. His mind makes me feel sick to my stomach. But what you can take from this is that he doesn't know that I exist. Because if he did, I would've been kidnapped by now. So that's the advantage we have."

"We should utilize it, right. Okay. I can definitely do that. Host a fundraiser, invite everyone that I know. But I need to think of an explanation for your being there."

"Are people honestly going to notice me?"

I looked at him as if he'd just asked what the sum of two and two was. "Kenshin, I don't know if you've looked in the mirror lately, but your hair is still that bright red color. Of course people are going to wonder whom the hell you are. Unless you'd be willing to dye your hair."

He fingered his ponytail. "I don't think so. I like my obnoxious hair."

I smiled a little. "Thought so. I'll think of something soon." I eyed the forgotten pizza that was resting on the table. "Do you want to split that?" I asked.

He eyed the pizza and sadness flashed in his eyes for a moment before he said, "Sure. But…are you sure you want to get grease on your hands Yukishiro? Is pizza too lowly for you?"

I scoffed. "Please. Although I will admit I haven't had pizza in so long. Especially the greasy, disgusting kind that costs less than ten bucks."

He grinned. "I doubt you've even had pizza that costs that little before."

He got me there. "Probably not, but I've had some shitty pizzas before."

"I think this place isn't too bad. But it's only safe to go with the cheese. I tried mushroom once…" He shuddered. "Not a good night."

I laughed as I grabbed the pizza from the table and took a seat on his couch. I _had_ to get him a new couch as soon as possible. Note to self.

I didn't think we ever sat around and hung out like normal kids in a really long time. But it was a nice change; it almost felt like everything was back to normal, back to the way things should be.

But then I caught a whiff of jasmine perfume that still lingered on the pillows of the couch and I'm forcefully reminded that things would never be like they were again.

* * *

A/N: I don't think I've posted a chapter less than 10 pages since Converse. So weird. I'm sorry about that, it's only for one more chapter, and then we're back to 14-20 page chapters :)

Please review!

MissGoalie


	7. Chapter Seven

A/N: Okay, so this is the last short chapter, but it's still an important one all the same.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Seven

_Kaoru_

I was at my desk, finishing up a piece about a charity organization when Kamatari strode into the office, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"_Attention_!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. I knew it must've been really good news since he looked like he was going to pee in his pants. "Enishi Yukishiro is hosting the _biggest _function of year and guess who's covering it? _We are_! Not that it's much of a surprise, of course, since he favors _us_…but _still_!"

There was some clapping and hollering, and I clapped as well…but the real question was…who had the honor of actually _attending_ the event?

"I'm allowed to bring three writers with me, and I've decided that Yuki, Tetsuo, and Kaoru will be joining me."

_What_? How was that possible? I was definitely the youngest writer working on the staff…shouldn't someone with more years of experiences have the honor?

But people were happy for me, or at least appeared to be. I pushed past them to get to Kamatari.

"Kamatari…I'm flattered…but…seriously? Me?" I whispered in his ear.

"You belittle yourself darling. Besides…this is kind of part of my apology."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, I've forgiven you for that. In fact, there was nothing to forgive in the first place. It wasn't your fault."

"Kaoru, you're also a great writer. This is a good opportunity for you." He gave me a pointed look before leaving me so he could go back to his office.

I went back to my desk, the excitement finally beginning to sink in. Pulling out my cell phone from my bag, I dialed Kenshin's number, which I already had memorized, and I sucked at remembering phone numbers.

"_Hello?"_

"Kenshin! It's Kaoru."

"_Hey! How are you?"_

"I'm good, really good, actually. I want to go out an celebrate – do you want to meet for lunch today?"

He laughed, and I felt fluttering in my stomach, as if I was fourteen-years-old. _"Sure…are you going to tell me what it's for?"_

"You'll find out at lunch."

"_Cruel woman."_ He sighed. _"Alright. I'll see you where?"_

"Blue Lemon – it's 1531 Lexington and Fifth."

"_Okay, I'll see you there."_

_

* * *

_

_Kenshin_

My head was hurting like a _bitch_, and I had no idea why. It was never this bad. I even took six pills, which would normally knock me out, but it only numbed the pain the tiniest bit.

Something was wrong.

But I wanted to see Kaoru, so I met her at the restaurant anyway. It was nice, and I knew it was out of my price range, but she was probably going to insist on picking up the tab since she wanted to celebrate something.

And of course she told me over the phone…how was I supposed to read her mind and find out the reason? Not that she actually knew that I could do that anyway…but still.

I rubbed my eyes when she joined me at the table. The lights were so _bright_.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, headache. It's nothing," I lied, lowering my hand to the table and trying to smile. "So what are we celebrating?"

She grinned brightly. "Well…you've heard that…well…" she blushed. "Of course you know…you're his best friend."

"What? Enishi?"

"Yeah. You know that huge function he's holding at the end of the month, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well…_The Daily Word_ was asked to cover it and I was one of the writers chosen!"

There was a surge of noise in the room, and I clutched my head with both my hands and groaned.

"Kenshin?" she asked worriedly, placing her hand on top of one of mine.

I clenched my teeth. "Fine. Fine." I looked up at her. "So…so you're going?" Everything was getting a little fuzzy at this point. And I was pretty sure black spots were blocking my vision.

"Yeah! I'm really excited – I'll get to talk to –"

And everything went black, as the cliché line goes.

* * *

My head was still hurting as I became conscious, but it was a lot less intense than before. I must've been on some serious painkillers.

I tried to open my eyes, but the bright lights made it worse, so I kept them closed. I supposed that was what having a hangover felt like.

"Mr. Himura?" I had no idea who this person was. I would've tried to read his mind, but I didn't want to push my aching head.

"Yes?"

"Are you having…difficulty opening your eyes?"

"The lights are too bright."

There was silence, and I didn't like it, so I tried to probe his mind a bit, and all I sensed were concerned tones of thought.

Uh oh.

I opened my eyes quickly and found myself staring at a doctor.

Fuck my life.

"Did I actually pass out?" I muttered to myself, bringing a hand to my forehead.

"You did. A Miss Kamiya made the call and is waiting outside for you."

"Oh…shit. Kaoru." This probably freaked her out.

"We've taken some scans, Mr. Himura," the doctor continued.

"Of what?"

"Your brain."

I felt my body grow cold. "And…?" But I already knew the answer.

"You have brain damage, Mr. Himura, and it's extensive. The tumor is deadly and fast working. You're going to need surgery to remove a part of the brain."

I felt myself gawking. _Brain surgery_?

"But…it's not a high success rate."

"Oh my God." This _wasn't_ happening. I was twenty-three! I shouldn't be dealing with things like this! "My insurance…there's _no_ way –"

"What did I _tell_ you, Kenshin? Don't worry about the money."

Enishi.

The doctor rounded on him. "Ex_cuse_ me, visitors aren't allowed…" but he trailed off, finally realizing whom he was yelling at. "Enishi Yukishiro?"

Enishi nodded, disinterest plastered on his face. "Yes, yes. I'll be paying for this whole thing."

I looked over at the doctor. "Can you excuse us for a minute?"

The doctor left the room without a word. He was probably going to tell all of his colleagues that Enishi Yukishiro was in the hospital.

"Enishi…this surgery…I don't know."

He gawked at me. "Are you serious? This can save your life!"

"But…I'll probably still have brain damage anyway. I'm not going to be able to help you after it. Isn't it just better to…ride it out?"

"No! Absolutely not!" he exclaimed roughly. "You're my best friend, and I want you to be healthy and alive."

"But…our operation…"

"Fuck that!" he hissed. "There won't _be_ one if you're dead!" He took a breath, and I wondered whether or not he was holding back tears. "I'm getting the best doctors for this…but it may take a while for them to get here. But I'll get them here in less than a month, at the absolute latest."

About a week after the function.

I didn't know whether to feel touched that he cared so much or not. Not that I ever doubted his feelings for me; I just assumed that he wouldn't want to risk having a hiatus on our operation. Or a permanent end.

Perhaps I was being so rash in assuming that he didn't care about my wellbeing.

I didn't recall what was going on around me after that. I remembered signing some things, and Enishi was beside me, signing things. The pain in my head was like a constant hammer pounding inside my skull. I wondered if it would be okay to take eight pills…

But those thoughts came to a screeching halt when I saw Kaoru sitting in the waiting room, her hands ringing a tissue, her knees bopping up and down. She was looking down at her shoes.

I didn't think Enishi knew she was there, because he visibly tensed.

She looked up and her face is blotchy, but was still beautiful to me. She would always be beautiful to me.

She stood up and walked over to me, still ringing her hands. When she was about a foot away from me, I smiled a little, which just set her off; she threw her arms around me tightly, a new wave of sobs racking her body.

"Kenshin…" she whispered into my neck.

"I'm okay. I'll be okay."

"They took you in for scans…?"

I swallowed and pried her off of me so I could look into her eyes. Everything was blocked out; it was just she and I. "I need surgery," I said.

Fresh tears filled her eyes and I hated being the reason for them.

"It'll be okay…" But even that sounded false. It was as if I was trying to assure myself.

Her cell phone rang and she reluctantly pulled away from me, sniffling as she checked who it was. "I have to go. I'm late for work." She tried to smile, and her bottom lip quivered. I wanted to kiss her and forget about everything that had happened. "I'll talk to you soon." She squeezed my hand before leaving Enishi and I.

* * *

_Enishi_

I couldn't believe this. It couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. Not to Kenshin! He was the last person on this planet that deserved this. And what the heck was I supposed to do once the surgery happens? Would I begin to work solo? And what would happen if Kenshin ended up a vegetable? Or dying?

I wished at that moment that I had registered Kenshin as a sidekick because I remembered one of the heroes having a sidekick that could possibly help him, but I couldn't now because I would get in trouble for not reporting. I would be forbidden to use my powers; all the hard work Kenshin and I worked for would be for nothing.

For the first time, I felt the type of guilt that kept people up at night. When did everything get so complicated?

* * *

A/N:_Gossip Girl_ is on tonight! Finally! Too bad_Heroes_ is on a break now...why do all these shows have to go on random breaks?!

Please review!

MissGoalie


	8. Chapter Eight

A/N: Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Eight

_Kenshin_

"Okay, thanks, g'bye." I closed my cell phone and took a few breaths.

I had just scheduled my haircut appointment. I decided last night while I was trying to sleep that it would be best to donate all my hair before the surgery, and to do it the day after the function.

I ran a hand through my hair. For my entire life, I had gotten made fun of for my hair, but I still loved it. Did it make me selfish that a big reason why I didn't want the surgery was just because I would lose my hair?

My cell phone buzzed in my hand, and I saw it was Enishi.

"Hey."

"_Hey. Get over here – you need your suit tailored."_ And he hung up, leaving no room for debate or discussion.

So I got my jacket and left.

On the way to Enishi's apartment, I went into a store that sold outdoor clothing and bought two more black ski masks. I decided to treat myself to a nicer brand this time around since I figured that I should leave "with style."

I left with forty dollars less in my pocket, which would normally make me wince.

The apartment that Enishi lived in was insane. There were cameras in the entrance, and I had to go through multiple people to even reach the elevator. And even when I made it to Enishi's floor, I had to go through another guy that I recognized to be Enishi's main bodyguard.

I knocked on his door, waiting for Mr. Gensai to answer.

"Kenshin! How are you?" Mr. Gensai greeted me, and I could tell he was upset about my recent…accident.

"I'm alright. How are you?"

"I'm well. Come, the tailor is here and she's just finished Enishi."

I followed Mr. Gensai through the spacious apartment past the saltwater fish tank, past the expensive artworks, and past a kitchen, two sitting rooms, and two bathrooms (why did he even _need_ two bathrooms?) to where Enishi was talking with the tailor in Japanese.

"Kenshin!" Enishi said, standing up and walking toward me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. He looked down at my plastic bag and asked, "What did you just buy?"

I looked over at the tailor and read her mind before answering. She didn't know a word of English besides "Thank you!" and "Hello!" and the numbers one through one hundred.

"Masks."

"How much did they cost?"

I sighed. "No, Enishi. You're not going to –"

He handed me a crisp bill with Ben Franklin on it. "I insist."

"I don't need it."

"Just take the goddamn money. Are we going to have to go through this every time?"

He sounded a little upset, probably still high strung over the upcoming function and my surgery. So I took it and pocketed it.

"Good man!" He then spoke in Japanese to the tailor, and she got up with a notepad and pen, ready. "Okay just stand straight and let her move your arms and legs so she can measure."

I obeyed him and she demanded me to spread my arms out. She whipped out a measuring tape and began working.

"So have you come up with a story yet?" I asked.

"Yeah. You're an old friend that I've recently bumped into, reunited after years of separation. I'm now helping you and your family out with financial stuff blah, blah, blah, the press will just eat it up," Enishi explained. "It has enough truth in it to be completely believable.

I smiled. "Right. A charity case is definitely believable."

He sighed apologetically. "It _is_ the only believable explanation. Unless you want to explain some questionable things."

"Wouldn't it be so much easier if I just pretended that I was part of your company?" I asked a bit desperately. I didn't like the idea of being in the spotlight like that.

"Has your hair miraculously changed color?"

I scowled. "No."

"I thought so."

We stood in silence, and after the tailor was done recording my measurements, she bowed to Enishi before leaving us alone.

"I could've just rented a tux. Don't do this because you feel sorry for me."

He looked down at his nice leather shoes before meeting my eyes. "It's not just that." He then smirks, that confident one that everyone saw all the time on his face. "You have to look good in my company." He slapped me on the back. "The suit will be sent to your apartment at the end of the week."

I nodded and told him that I would see him later, given that there were no crimes before the function. And as I left his apartment and began walking back to my living quarters, I thought about Kaoru and how shocked she'd be seeing me in clothing worth more than twenty bucks in total.

* * *

_Enishi_

About two days after getting Kenshin's suit, there was a man attempting to rob and murder a family. Kenshin and I got there and I took him down, but Kenshin had collapsed as soon as it had ended, unable to move, his head was in so much pain. So I flew him back to his apartment before coming back to mine.

Just in time to see a restricted number trying to call me.

"Hello?"

"_What the hell are you going to do about this Shishio problem?"_

Oh. _Him_ again? Honestly, having that one call was bad enough. "What do you mean?"

"_It's beginning to effect other cities. Other members of the League are beginning to deal with Shishio's petty followers."_

I wouldn't have known – I never kept in contact with any of my fellow heroes. Besides, we would be seeing each other in the late spring. But I didn't think this Shishio person would be appealing to so many people.

"I've got a plan in the works, don't worry."

"_Besides hosting functions?"_

I couldn't answer that, but I did say, "I'm going to get him. He hasn't come out in a while. But the next time he does, he's finished."

I didn't hear anything, so I checked my phone to see that he had hung up on me. Asshole.

Wanting to talk with someone I actually liked, I dialed Natsumi since I hadn't talked to her in a few days.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Natsumi."

"_Enishi. Long time no speak. How are you?"_

"I've been better," I sighed, running a hand through my sweaty hair. "What about you?" I began peeling off my costume.

"_I've been okay. I'm pretty excited for your function – I just bought the prettiest dress. You'll love it."_

I smiled. I bet I would. "Do you want to be picked up, or would you rather just meet there?"

"_Meet there – I might be an hour late since I'll be coming back from Florida that day."_

I nodded as I pulled on a shirt and stripped the rest of my costume off.

"So I thought I should tell you now that my old friend Kenshin is going to be there."

"_Kenshin? You've never mentioned him before."_

"Oh, he was this kid that I was best friends with when I was eight…you know when I first lived here. I had just bumped into him recently. I'm sort of taking care of him now."

She sighed. _"Why do I feel like you're lying to me half the time?"_

Rendered speechless twice in a row.

"I…may not telling you everything…but…I love you. So…don't doubt that." And that was my first love confession.

I heard her sigh again and I knew that it wasn't good. _"I don't know if I can continue this anymore. I'll go to this last function with you…and then that's it. I'll see you then."_

She hung up on me.

* * *

_Kaoru_

Katamari insisted on going shopping with me for a new dress. Because apparently my clothes weren't okay enough for the function. Sorry that I was supporting myself with food, hot water, and shelter, and that I didn't have the frivolous money to waste buying a dress I was only going to wear once.

But he offered to pay for it because he was _still_ upset about the crazy fireman fiasco. When would he let it go?

Although I wasn't going to deny that shopping for a new, expensive dress was extremely appealing.

"So…Kaoru…" he started as he searched through the racks, blowing off nearly every single one. "How's that boy toy of yours?"

I first thought he was talking about the sidekick, but then I figured he meant Kenshin.

"I really like him," I admitted, looking over the dresses he blew off. I pulled a plain strapless one off and showed it to him. "What's wrong with this?"

He scoffed. "Kaoru, you're way too stunning for that. You need something _sexy_ and _stunning_. That's so…_blah_. You deserve better."

I sighed as I put it back.

"So…you like him?" he prodded, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah…but…it's weird. I don't know. We're kind of like…too close for friends. If that makes any sense. Physically I think we broke some 'friend' boundaries. And not in the dirty way, so get your head out of the gutter!"

He snorts. "Okay, okay. So what does that mean?"

"I don't know. I haven't dealt with anything like this before. It's…" I couldn't find a word for it because everything else was just so cliché and not fitting.

Katamari suddenly became serious as he watched me struggle to find the right words. "Oh…you actually…_really_ like him."

I merely nodded.

"Well what do you think he feels?"

"See, that's the thing. I _know _that he knows there's something going on…but he has this barrier. I can't see it, but I _know_ it's there. His life…it's all shrouded in mystery. He gets random calls all the time. And it's the same person. It's kind of…suspicious."

"Is he a drug dealer or something?"

"The only drugs I've seen him take are painkillers, which he needs. Apparently his headaches are just God-awful. And I'm not sure if he drinks, but if he's popping these pills like candy, then I'm pretty sure he doesn't."

"That sucks. Headaches suck. Maybe he gets these pills on the side?"

"No, he gets them all from the pharmacy. His doctor prescribes it." I then get teary-eyed thinking about his upcoming surgery.

"What's wrong?" he asked, completely abandoning his search to give me his full attention.

"He's…his brain is messed up. He's going to have to go under…and I don't know if he's going to be the same after that." I wiped the tears from under my eyes, careful not to smudge my mascara.

He frowned. "Okay. I…can't imagine how this must be for this guy…but if I were he I'd probably want to be with all my friends and stuff…or at least the ones that really mattered. I mean you have two options here. You can either stick by him until the very end…or you just let him go, which may be less painful."

I couldn't believe Katamari even said that. There was _no_ way I was dumping Kenshin like that! I would never forgive myself! Kenshin had become a very dear person to me, and I wasn't going to abandon him.

"I'm sticking by him," I said simply, walking past him to continue the search for a dress.

One caught my eye, and when I showed it to him, he grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Now _that's_ more like it."

* * *

_Kenshin_

I put on the pants, I put on the shirt, I put on the overcoat, and I put on the shoes, and when I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself.

Enishi always looked so comfortable in these clothes, almost like how the average person is comfortable wearing a pair of jeans.

I sighed as I pulled down the cuffs on my shirt. It wasn't that I looked terrible…it just wasn't me. I didn't wear clothes like this. I wore jeans everyday and wrinkled shirts and canvas shoes.

At least it was only for one night. One last night to look relatively normal. I swung my ponytail in front of my shoulder and ran a hand through it, feeling the need to cry despite how trivial appearances are in comparison to my health and life.

But my lack of future was getting more and more obvious by the day.

I sighed as I left the bathroom to leave for the function. Thankfully the landlord wasn't waiting by the door to yell at me; I had just taken a few pills and my headache was the most bearable it had been in a while.

I had planned on walking there; it wasn't too far from where I lived surprisingly enough. But outside my apartment building there was a limo and Mr. Gensai had just stepped out of it.

"Kenshin? What are you doing? Didn't Enishi tell you that I was going to give you a ride?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No. I was just going to walk."

Mr. Gensai sighed. "Enishi said you would do that." He jerked his head to the limo. "Get in."

I followed Mr. Gensai into the limo, getting a whiff of new-leather smell. I never really liked that smell; I never understood why people found it so pleasing.

"I'm really sorry," Mr. Gensai said as soon as the limo smoothly lurched forward.

I shrugged. "It's okay – we had a good run."

We sat in silence for the rest of the car ride. I watched the flash of city lights through the tinted window, trying to put off the dread of having to be around hundreds of people I didn't know, that were of a completely different level than me.

At least Kaoru would be there.

"Please tell Enishi, if you can, that I can't read too much into people's minds – I can't let my eyes change color," I told Mr. Gensai as we slowed to a stop.

"I will." Mr. Gensai opened the door and got out. "Get ready."

I grinned a little before getting out myself, already bombarded with photographers and flashing lights and tape recorders. Why was this like, a celebrity awards show?

But thankfully Mr. Gensai grabbed my arm tightly and led me through the swarm of people into the safe confinements of the club where this function was being held.

We entered a large room with many tables, two bars, and a band playing on a stage. There were people there that I vaguely recognized from the newspaper, even a few celebrities.

But then I spotted Enishi, laughing and looking absolutely comfortable. He was so in his element; I felt like a fish dying out of water.

He saw me and walked over to where Mr. Gensai and I stood.

"Kenshin!" he exclaimed, bringing me into a hug, and I heard a few clicks of a camera. "Keep an eye out," he mutters in my ear so no one could hear.

"Or a mind out," I replied quietly.

He pulled away and slapped me on the shoulder, laughing. "You crack me up." He vaguely gestured out around him. "Go have fun." And he left me to fend for myself.

It was kind of like going to family member's bat mitzvah where you didn't know any of the kids your age, but you couldn't hang out with your parents because they knew all the adults and were talking about boring things that you didn't care to know about.

I sighed and ran a hand through my bangs. This was going to suck.

I walked to the bar and ordered a club soda, having to stop the bartender from pouring anything alcoholic into it. As I took a sip, I turned and leaned back against the bar counter.

And that was when I saw her.

* * *

_Kaoru_

These shoes were really uncomfortable and hard to walk in, so I latched onto Kamatari's arm for the time being. I was going to kill him for convincing me to get these shoes.

It still continued to surprise me that someone could know that many people and be in business with all of them. Enishi Yukishiro was clearly a person to behold.

He strode around the room and talked with everyone so smoothly. He was the ultimate businessman.

I looked toward the bar, hoping to get some sort of drink, and I nearly gaped. Kenshin.

And he was looking so casual and handsome and I think I was gripping Kamatari's arm too tightly because he followed where my eyes were stuck and whistled lowly.

"Good pick, Miss Kamiya," he murmured in my ear.

"That's Kenshin!" I hissed as we made our way inside. I was hesitant; I was drawn to go over to him.

"No!" he gasped. "Did you know he was coming?"

"No! He didn't say! I mean I knew he was friends with Enishi Yukishiro –"

"Wait, he's _what_?"

I sighed. "They just met up recently."

"Huh." I looked over at him, wondering why that was so interesting to him. But then glanced sideways at me. "So, he's straight?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure." No, he definitely had to be.

"Then go get him!" He nudged me in his general direction, nearly making me trip. I glared at him before walking over to Kenshin.

I never thought Kenshin could clean up, as horrible as that may seem. He was just the person that never left a pair of jeans. But the real question was…why didn't he tell me that he was going to be at this function?

His eyes drifted over to me, and he smiled before placing his drink back on the counter.

"Hey," he said. He looked at me from head to toe, but it wasn't creepy; he was just being observant. "You look stunning," he said with such sincerity that I blushed profusely.

"Thanks. You look good too."

He snorted, looking down at his expensive-looking suit. "I was going to rent one, but Enishi _insisted_ on custom fitting."

"And Enishi Yukishiro will not be denied."

He grinned. "Exactly."

I sighed a little, looking around at all the people; everyone was going to their respective tables. Dinner was about to start.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were also going to be here?" I asked quickly.

He picked up his drink and said, "I was going to…but then I passed out."

Oh. The restaurant. I looked down at my feet, not wanting to think about that right now.

"I think we're supposed to eat now…but I'll talk to you after dinner. What table are you at?"

"Fourteen."

"One," he said with a hint of amusement.

"Of course. Enishi's table is number one," I mocked.

He grinned. "Of course," he repeated before pushing himself off the counter. He gave me a caring smile that I liked to think he only reserved for me before he walked past me to his table.

I numbly walked over to mine, scrambling to get in the right state of mind for my work, but I was finding difficult with Kenshin's being flashing before me whenever I closed my eyes. He was burned into my retinas.

* * *

_Kenshin_

Dinner was extremely uncomfortable and I barely talked as I picked at my food. It was chicken, and it wasn't bad, I just wasn't in the mood to eat.

Especially since my mind was on overdrive, trying to search through every mind in this goddamn room.

Nobody at the table seemed to know anything, and neither did the four tables around me.

I looked up and caught a feminine looking man staring at me and I recognized him as the man that Kaoru had walked in with. Honjou Katamari, Kaoru's boss.

_Kaoru does have good taste, he's very beautiful. But he doesn't do it for me like Shishio._

I just about choked on the piece of chicken that I had been chewing on for the past five minutes.

I took a sip of water and said, "I'm okay," the few people that turned to look at me.

What the hell was _that_?

I probed Katamari's mind further, and I was shocked by what I found.

He was in love with Shishio. And he didn't care about what Shishio was doing to this city; he just wanted him to be _happy_.

I thought I was going to upchuck what I had just eaten.

But the scary thing was that Katamari knew that Enishi was Shikku. I tried to find out how he could've figured it out, but everyone was standing up and leaving, going around to mingle again.

I tried to get to Enishi, but some politician was sweeping him up. Subtly, I stared at Enishi, hoping for him to notice me, but he didn't.

I sighed. This was going to _hurt_.

I closed my eyes briefly and sent him a message: _I found him_.

And there went my head.

It felt like someone was ripping my head apart in an agonizingly slow way. And the stuffiness of the room and the talking and inner thoughts of everyone around me just made everything a lot worse. I had to get fresh air.

With my eyes down, I quickly made my way to a curtained wall, but I knew there were doors that led to a balcony because I saw a few people disappearing there a few times. When I felt a rush of cool air, my head cleared a little.

I leaned on my elbows on the banister, looking down at the traffic. I was only a few floors up, not too high.

I heard the door open and close, and I knew it was Enishi. I looked over at him and he gasped.

"Your eyes are _glowing amber_. It's scary," he said, shuddering.

"I found him – he works for the paper. With Kaoru. Katamari. What are we supposed to do?"

He sighed, his fingers raking through her hair. "I'm going to have to…pay him a visit or something. Turn him in." He swallowed and let out another breath. "Thanks, Kenshin." He turned to go back inside but then he stopped. "Stay outside for a few minutes – wait until your eyes change back." And then he was gone.

I sighed loudly as I cradled my head in my hands for a few minutes. And then I remembered that I stuffed two pills in my pocket earlier that night, so I pulled them out and swallowed them dry before putting my head back in its original position.

Someone opened and closed the door again, and I wasn't sure who it was; I didn't really bother to try and read their mind since the pain in my head was slowly dwindling.

"Hey."

Kaoru.

"Hey," I responded, not looking up. I wasn't sure if my eyes were still amber.

I felt her lean against the banister beside me. Her heat radiated into my jacket.

"You know, Enishi is telling people that you and he just met up very recently. Why the lie?" she asked.

I couldn't deal with this right now. In fact, I was done dealing with it all. I hated all the secrets, and I couldn't stand leading two lives with Kaoru.

I lowered my hands and turned my head to look at her and her eyes are immediately drawn to mine.

"You're eyes…" she whispered.

I then did the craziest thing imaginable: I kissed her.

Was it a poorly planned way to distract her from thinking about my eyes, which I was sure were a mixture of gold and violet? Kind of. But when I felt her respond, I knew it was something more than that.

A lot more.

And I was pretty sure that she felt it too, because she took me by the hand and we left the function together and into the romantic intimacy that only a night in a city could bring.

* * *

A/N: Please review! I really appreciate them all, even if I don't necessarily respond to your specific review :)

MissGoalie


	9. Chapter Nine

A/N: This was originally going to be split into 2 chapters…but then I realized it was just going to be really uneven (like one chapter would've been 4 pages and the other 12) so I decided to just keep it as one.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Nine

_Kaoru_

I woke up the morning after the function feeling content and just the slightest bit rebellious. Never in all my twenty-three years of living did I ever do something like _this_.

Turning my head, I stared at Kenshin's sleeping face, feeling a smile growing on mine; he looked so peaceful.

I had to admit, I did imagine going out on a few (a lot of) dates with him _before_ doing…_that_…but the night before there was something desperate about it, and I wasn't sure if it was because of his upcoming surgery or not. But it felt right and I supposed that was all that mattered.

Bringing my hand to stroke his arm that was draped over my stomach, I wondered what was going to happen now since we _definitely_ crossed the physical boundaries that are considered "friendship appropriate."

His arm tightened around me and I knew he was beginning to wake up. I looked at his face and watched as his eyes slowly opened to reveal perfectly pure violet. I remembered distinctly his eyes were violet with obvious blotches of amber the night before. Strange. It must've been a reflection of the city lights.

I smiled at him and he smiled back, and he surprisingly flushed, which just made me flush as well.

But then he groaned and murmured, "Shit."

"What?" I asked, hoping that he wasn't going to say that he regretted what happened.

"What time is it?"

I glanced over at my alarm clock, which read half past ten. When I told him, he sighed.

"I missed my haircut," he said.

I laughed a little, feeling relieved. "Well that's not a big deal."

He sighed again. "I was going to shave my head…you know…to prepare."

The atmosphere immediately became solemn. I reached over to run a hand through his soft hair. "I'm not going anywhere, you know," I said in a soft voice.

His eyes widened at my comment before settling on something between appreciation and apprehension.

"What's going on here…exactly?" he asks hesitantly.

I sighed this time and looked up toward the ceiling. "I'm not sure," I admitted, feeling confused as well. "It's…" Again, I couldn't seem to put a name to it.

He hummed in agreement and kissed my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. But then he loosened his hold on me to look over the side of the bed. I watched the muscles of his back contract and I saw some of my marks from the night before and felt myself flush again.

His phone was in his hand and he seemed to be contemplating something before turning it off. He turned his full attention to me and kissed me fully on the lips.

After a while he pulled away and said, "I kind of want to…see where this goes. I don't want to feel like we have to follow a certain protocol, you know?"

If this were any other boy, I would've completely disagreed with this. But I couldn't, not when he was looking at me with the obvious potential of love.

So I pulled him on top of me and said, "Stay for the day."

* * *

_Kenshin_

Was it smart? Probably not. Was it wrong? Maybe. Was it worth it? Without a doubt.

I stayed with Kaoru the entire day and it was one of the nicest days of my life. I cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for her, and we talked about our childhoods, the books we read, the movies we loved. And the entire time I was with her, I couldn't help but think…this could be it. And for some reason I couldn't wait for that to happen.

I walked home in my tux from the night before and I got funny looks, but all the guys that were around my age were giving me slaps on the backs and even a group of guys around fourth street clapped, which was kind of weird.

Even my landlord yelling at me for rent didn't faze me; I blatantly ignored him. I was in such a good mood that I took a shower longer than five minutes (but that was normally because I didn't want to use all the hot water, which I did that day).

After I changed into more comfortable clothing, there was a series of anxious knocks that automatically made me freeze. This wasn't good.

I rushed to the door and found Mr. Gensai, of all people, looking extremely upset.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Enishi is fighting and _you're not there_," he hissed uncharacteristically.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "Shit."

I ran to my room and turned on my phone and saw that there were over a dozen missed calls. Oh my God, how could I have done this?

I tried to find my black mask under the pile of clothing on my bed, but I couldn't find it, so I grabbed the plastic bag with my other mask in it and nearly flew out the door with Mr. Gensai trailing behind me.

* * *

_Kaoru_

I never felt more proud of myself: I went into the supermarket and bought food! Without anyone's help! It was definitely a day for a new Kaoru Kamiya.

Of course this food wasn't for me since I still couldn't cook to save my life. While Kenshin and I were together, he mentioned that he needed to go food shopping but he never had time until later in the week, so I thought I'd surprise him.

When I got to his apartment, I knocked, but no one answered. "Kenshin?" I called, knocking again.

I tried to the knob and I was surprised to find it open.

I crept in and called his name, and he still didn't answer. I went to his kitchen area and put all his food away in all the proper places.

When I was done, I checked into his bedroom, thinking that maybe he was asleep, but all I found was a pile of clothes on his bed, which I proceeded to fold.

One of the items of clothing looked like a black beanie, which I had never seen him wear before. I plucked a strand of his red hair off of it, and then my finger found a hole in it. No wonder he didn't wear it – it needed to be sewed.

Suddenly, my muscles clenched save for my fingers, which slowly touched every inch of the "hat" and I counted two holes. Eye holes.

Oh. My. _God_.

* * *

_Kenshin_

I was about to throw up when I made it to the roof of this building that was literally on the other end of the city from where I lived. But I didn't feel as bad as Enishi looked.

Shishio had managed to singe Enishi's entire right arm and his left side was bleeding, not to mention his steps were extremely sluggish. How could I've done this? Was I really that selfish?

Yes.

_I'm here,_ I alerted Enishi.

_KENSHIN WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU_.

I gripped my hair with my hands, pain surging through my head.

_That's not going to help! Just focus_, I yelled back, my head now throbbing.

He did a little better with me there, but the fact of the matter was that he was too beat up from before and I was already weakened from running and Enishi yelling at me.

All that I remembered was that I was telling Enishi to dodge, and then I consequently passed out.

* * *

It took a really long time to recover from that blackout. I tried moving one extremity at a time, but then I found myself being shaken awake.

The last person I expected to wake me was Soujiro.

When I realized that it was Tenken, Speedy Gonzales, Shishio's right hand man, I tried to back away, but then my headache hit me in full force and it was crippling. I barely moved two inches.

"Enishi was taken by Shishio. He's coming back at around sunrise to kill him in front of everyone."

I knew he was talking; I could see his lips moving, but the words didn't make sense. None of this made sense.

"You…you told Kamatari who Shikku really was. You found him out," I whispered. My voice was hoarse.

He shrugs, not denying anything.

"Why are you doing this?"

Soujiro got off his knees and sat down cross-legged, sighing. I did the same.

"We're kindred. Both being sidekicks and all that," Soujiro said.

"Uh, not really. You're technically a henchman," I pointed out.

He brushed it off. "I'm the equivalent to what you are. And, frankly, I'm getting sick of it. This isn't what I want. I don't _like_ terrorizing. I don't agree with Shishio."

"Then _why_ are you with him? It doesn't matter if you believe in him or not – you're still a part of it anyway!"

Soujiro looked down at his feet. "Because I owe him something. I owe him for saving my ass when I was young. I owe him for taking me in and raising me. I owe him for a lot of things."

That struck me _hard_. Was that what everything was all about? Owing people stuff? Yeah, I owed Enishi for a million and one things…but I _believed_ what we were doing was right. We were _helping_ people. Saving the city, doing good.

Then why did it always feel like some sort of duty or responsibility that I was trapped in? It was always on his terms, based on his schedules and needs, completely disregarding mine.

"I was just a stupid kid who needed guidance…and found it in the wrong person. Eventually, I became disenchanted with his bullshit."

"You make it seem like this epiphany came about years ago."

"No, it was actually quite recent."

I laughed a little, finding this all completely ridiculous. "Okay."

Soujiro looked up at me, and I was surprised at how blue his eyes were. They almost reminded me of Kaoru's.

"I kind of knew who you were before…now."

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

"Well, being fast means I get to the scenes quicker and I can stick around for longer…so that's how I found out about Shikku's true identity. That's how I've seen you. I know what you do. I know what you're capable of doing."

"Oh my God." Not only was this guy Shishio's number one henchman, he was also my personal stalker.

"No need to get distressed – I haven't told Shishio if that's what you're worried about."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, call it some sort of loyalty to someone who's in the same boat as me."

I sighed. "Okay, so, you know my ability, you know who I am to Enishi. So what?"

"You made me realize that there are decent people with abilities that don't really have some sort of agenda."

"All _heroes _don't have an agenda. We just want to do good."

"No, _you_ just want to do good. Nowadays every hero, every villain has some sort of _reason_ or _motive_ for doing what he or she does. For Shishio, he wants his fucked up _philosophy_ to be the way the world lives by. For Shikku he's an egomaniac who loves to hear people chanting his name. I knew before I found out who he was that his real identity must've either been a nobody, dying for attention, or he was already ridiculously well known. But we both know that it's the latter."

"What's your point?"

"My point is…you're the only decent hero that's ever come along outside of a comic book. Everyone else out there sucks."

"Everyone else?"

Soujiro's eyes widened a little, the most expression I've ever seen on his face. But then he had his emotionless smile on his face again. "I don't know what a mind reader can do against someone who can create fire out of thin air," he started, standing up.

I stood up shakily. "I can fight." He stared at me with a questioning glance. "Sword."

"Shishio can too – if you bring a sword then maybe he'll fight you like that. Since nobody can wield a sword anymore…"

We stood in silence for a while. Traffic was beginning to move slowly, but there were people still down there, waiting.

"You might not live," he said.

"I know."

He nodded. "Good luck then."

"What are you going to do?" I asked. It wasn't as if he could just –

"Do what I do best." He gave a grin before running off in a flash.

But of course he could.

I pulled back my sleeve to check the time. Half past two. I had about three hours until Shishio would be back. So I began running too. I climbed down to the sidewalk, took off the mask, and started sprinting.

* * *

On any normal day, if I were to go to Hiko's dojo at three in the morning and wake him up, he would probably kick my ass. But since there was the high chance that I wasn't going to live to see the sun fully raise, he would make some sort of exception. I hoped.

"Hiko!" I yelled, banging on the door.

"Shut the _fuck_ up!" someone yelled across the street.

"_Hiko_!"

I heard loud stomps on the other side of the door.

"This better be _fucking important_, you _fucktard_! It's _three in the fucking morning_!"

"Oh, colorful nickname. But I think I'm still fond of idiot student," I said without really thinking.

He threw the door open and I was surprised to see him with such a shocked expression. "Kenshin?"

"Hi," I said, feeling confused. I thought he was going to kill me!

He pulled me by the front of my shirt and shut the door behind me.

"Enishi's gone," I said.

"Were you there? He didn't do very well so I figured you weren't."

"No, I wasn't there in the beginning. But I came…but after a while I passed out. Shishio took him." I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to panic. Hiko released his grip, allowing me to pace. "I need a sword," I finally said.

"You can't be serious! You can't fight this guy."

"I'm going to. I have no choice." I walked past him to where the largest room was which had his _katana_ collection on racks on the wall.

"Yes, you do. You're technically not involved. You don't _exist_. Shikku doesn't _have_ a sidekick."

"But I _do_. I _know_ I do. I have to do this."

"_Why_? What has that son of a bitch done for you? You've sacrificed _everything_ for that prick! What do you owe him?"

I threw my mask on the ground, turned around and screamed, "_EVERYTHING_. And it's not just for him. It's _everyone_. Everyone needs a hero, and Shikku is the guy. I'm just giving the people their hero back. But for now, they're going to have to make do with me." I turned back to the sword collection.

Hiko sighed, reaching up to the highest rack and handed a sword to me.

"What happens if you die?" he asked lowly.

I unsheathed the sword a little. It was pristine in the light. "I don't know yet."

Hiko gave an exasperated sigh. "Who's going to take care of all your shit?"

"Mr. Gensai most likely will if Enishi somehow doesn't make it. Enishi is taking care of my father's expenses and covering my insurances…so it'll be up to him to take care of that stuff."

"What about Kaoru?" he asked in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, picturing her not even twenty-four hours ago wrapped in sheets with a pink glow in her cheeks. I exhaled and sheathed the sword with a snap, opening my eyes. "Tell her everything."

He nodded.

"Right…so…bye…" I said awkwardly before bowing and walking toward the door.

"You have fifteen minutes…to use your ability without it affecting your technique," Hiko said.

"Have you ever played 'Would You Rather?'" I asked randomly.

"No…what the hell is that?"

"It's this stupid kid's game where you offer two horrible scenarios and you say which one you would rather do." I swallowed. "I remember one of the questions was 'would you rather freeze to death or burn to death.'"

"Which did you say?"

"Freeze. I figured it would be less painful."

"What was the point of sharing that?"

"Nothing…I don't know. This just reminded me of it." I paused for a moment, realizing something. "And…that I never really seem to get what I want, do I?"

I didn't wait to hear his response and I tried very hard not to make a noise as a few tears fell out of my eyes.

* * *

I sat on the roof for over an hour, thinking. Thinking about the irony of it all. For my entire life I was always in the shadows of other people, wanting to blend in, but now, during my final hour, I was stepping out for everyone to see. And not only that, it was happening during a sunrise. Almost like a new beginning for me.

Not a lot of people were going to miss me. My landlord would probably be upset that I didn't pay him before I died. The people at work would mourn me for about a minute before getting back to their businesses. And I didn't have many friends.

But there was always Hiko, who was like a guardian to me. And Enishi, my best friend, who took care of a lot of things for me. And my dad, who had dealt with so much shit in his life, so we were almost two of a kind. I felt terrible adding the loss of my life to that.

And Kaoru.

She helped me realize that I could do more than just stand in the shadows, helping someone who already had the ability to make changes in society.

So I guessed that this was kind of a shout out to her.

I wanted to look down at the thousands of people to see if maybe I could locate her amongst everyone. But whom was I kidding? I wasn't that naïve and this wasn't like a movie. The ending of this day wasn't certain in the least and I didn't get to say my final goodbyes to the girl I potentially could have loved.

It was pretty grim. I just hoped that Kaoru, my dad, Enishi, _everyone_ would understand why I was doing this.

Everyone gasped from below and I looked up to find Shishio flying toward the building, fire trailing behind him, holding what looked like a ragdoll.

But it was Enishi, looking lifeless. The great Shikku never looked so mortal.

I felt a little tremor of fear.

Shishio landed on the roof, looking very pleased with himself as he dragged Enishi to the edge of the building and yelled, "I give you your _hero_." He lifted Enishi higher, and I felt anger rush through every artery in my body.

There was orange and purple on the horizon.

"When are you people going to realize that these…people…these…superheroes…are nothing more than freaks of nature? They can't last forever…they'll only _disappoint_ you in the end. Like now…I can see your faces…"

I quietly stood up and walked toward Shishio, taking advantages of being in the shadows. I took shaky breaths.

"So who's going to save you all now, huh? Your _pathetic_ and _insignificant_ lives? What will you do without your precious little hero?"

"They'll have me," I said, rather glad that it didn't come out completely weak.

Shishio turned around and looked at my black mask, revealing my amber eyes. He laughed in my face.

"_You_?" he sputtered in between laughs.

I grasped my sword tighter. "Yes. _Me_."

I knew that there was a certain inevitability of my failing. Shishio could create _fire_. And not only that, his fighting abilities were beyond any normal human from what I'd seen.

So my standing in front of him, my sword poised to fight, could be taken as either being extremely courageous…or being completely idiotic.

"You want to play with the big boys?" Shishio asked in a condescending manner, tossing Enishi onto the floor. I shifted my gaze to Enishi for a moment, but then Shishio had his strong, bandaged arms around my neck, leaving burn marks. "Lesson number one: every man for himself."

I jerked out of his grasp and put a safe distance between us.

"Quick little thing, aren't you?"

I said nothing, only holding my sword back up.

"So, you think you can fight?" He drew his sword and it was red with the heat radiating from his hand.

"Yes."

I had to admit, it was a lot easier just reading his mind and not having to share with Enishi. Although it was still a strain, it could have been a lot worse.

"You're not bad, kid. But how can you deal with this?" Shishio said before flames snaked up the length of the sword and striking me square in the chest.

Shit.

* * *

_Kaoru_

Now that I knew that the Unidentified Sidekick and Kenshin were one in the same, everything seemed so _obvious_.

The headaches. Those crippling headaches and it just so happened that I met two guys with the same condition? Why did I not link the two together?

And not only that, at the function his eyes were distinctly violet and amber, that same shade I had seen through a black mask multiple times.

I was so stupid. _That_ was why he kept disappearing after phone calls, and _that_ was why he was so private.

But if Kenshin was the sidekick…then Shikku must've been…

Enishi Yukishiro.

I rushed to the building where Shishio was last seen with Shikku and already there was a huge crowd. I wouldn't have been surprised if the entire city was trying to cram itself onto one block to see this spectacle.

"Who is that guy? Does he work for Shikku?" I heard one person ask another.

"I don't know, but he's got a lot of balls."

I squinted to see who they were talking about and to my horror I saw the sidekick, _Kenshin_, trying to stand up, using what looked like a sword to prop himself up.

"Oh my God," I muttered, feeling tears in my eyes.

It was so painful, watching Kenshin repeatedly get burned and slashed, and he would still go after him, sword clutched in hand.

"Kaoru!"

I turned my head to see a large, muscular man trying to squeeze his way next to me.

"I'm Hiko Seijuro…Kenshin's guardian," he said, seeing my confused expression.

"You know?" I asked.

This time he had the puzzled expression. "_You_ know? Did he tell you?"

"No, I figured it out."

We both looked up to see Kenshin blown into the air and falls with a crash against some pipes. I choked back a sob.

"We have to do something," I found myself saying.

"I know, I think I have a plan, but Kenshin has to think of it."

* * *

_Kenshin_

There was no way I was going to survive this.

I ripped off my mask because part of it was burning off; already I was sure I had a scar on the left side of my face. My side was steadily losing blood and my right eye was swelling up. And if I wasn't mistaken, a rib was definitely broken. Not to mention my head was about to explode, but that went without saying.

Yeah, no chance at all.

This guy _had_ to have a weakness. I just had to think and not throw myself at him only to get blown away.

So I just stayed where I was and thought.

I heard Shishio's menacing laugh and I tried to focus.

What went against fire? Water! Obviously, he never fought when it rained. In fact, it was always a few days after a rainfall when the streets were dry when he came out again.

So I had to get water up here.

I knew there were fire hydrants on the ground…I just had to get him on the ground.

But that would definitely bring my own death.

I closed my eyes, knowing that Hiko would've had to be down in the crowd somewhere. I just had to find him.

_Hiko!_ I called out as loudly as I could.

After a few seconds, I heard him, but he was very faint.

_Kenshin. What do you want me to do?_

_Call the fire department and get water up here. Use fire hydrants. I'm going to try and bring him down._

I couldn't hear anything except a ringing in my ears.

I put a finger in my ear and it was wet with what I was sure was my own blood.

"Come out, come out, we can still play…"

I gritted my teeth and got to my feet slowly. "You are such an _asshole_," I said, almost laughing.

"Yeah, well, that's a typical villainous quality, right?"

"You get what you get."

He grinned. "Exactly. Too bad that you have to die, I kind of like you."

I shrugged. "Yeah. I'd say the same to you…but I don't really like you."

I heard the sirens of fire trucks and the sound of sprinkling water. I smiled, revealing my bloodied mouth.

"What –"

I threw my hand out and tried to get inside his mind completely. His body jerked around in response as I slowly walked closer to him. But this wasn't enough, which was why I threw himself at him, catapulting us off the building.

The last thing I felt was cool water washing the blood off my face before nothing.

* * *

A/N: Review!

MissGoalie


	10. Chapter Ten

A/N: Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Ten

_Kaoru_

I had been trying to find Enishi for the past six hours, but he was _nowhere_. After Kenshin had fallen with Shishio, Enishi had managed to wake up and save Kenshin before he fell along with Shishio, who died on impact, his body doused with water before he could do a thing.

My cell phone was buzzing and when I saw it was work, I put it away; I had to find Kenshin first.

I squeezed past the crowd that still lingered in front of the building where the battle of the century took place in order to find a payphone with a telephone directory attached.

Of course Enishi Yukishiro wouldn't take my call if I were to call his company, given that it probably had to go through a dozen people before him, but I settled for the next best thing and found Hiko Seijuro's number.

He didn't answer.

I slammed the phone in frustration and tried to be rational. Maybe Kenshin's work…

Too bad I still had _no_ idea where he worked.

On the verge of tears I was ready to scream before I thought of going to Kenshin's apartment; perhaps he wrote down Enishi's number somewhere.

As I walked, people were buzzing about what Kenshin had done, deeming him a hero; I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Kenshin wrote _nothing_ down. But I supposed that was smart because you would've never known that he was best friends with one of the richest men in the world.

I dialed Kenshin's cell phone one final time, hoping that someone would pick it up (preferably Kenshin himself).

A generic ringtone played distantly in the apartment.

I nearly tripped running into Kenshin's bedroom and I threw all the clothes that I didn't manage to fold the last time I was in here around the room until I found his cell phone.

"Thank God," I breathed out, going straight to the contacts list on his phone, which was pitifully short.

There was "Enishi Work" and "Enishi Cell" but there was also "Mr. Gensai Cell," "Dad's Place," "Kaoru," (I smiled at this) "Work," "Hiko Work," and "Hiko Cell."

I pressed on Enishi's cell number and waited.

It went straight to voicemail. What the hell?

I then tried Hiko's cell and he answered it after just one ring.

"_Kenshin?_" He sounded incredulous.

"No, Kaoru. Where is he?" I demanded.

I heard him sigh. "_Enishi has him in a private medical facility._"

"Take me to him."

"_No, he's probably still in surgery right now and Enishi –"_

"I don't give a _shit_ about Enishi! You better take me to him or else I'll run an article revealing _everything_," I threatened in a voice that I knew scared people.

"_Stay there – I'll get a cab and pick you up – it's right outside the city._"

* * *

_Enishi_

I couldn't sit still even though my doctor specifically told me that I had to; Kenshin was in surgery right now and nobody was sure if he was going to live or not.

I winced as I tried to sit up, finding it very difficult with two cracked ribs. How the heck was I supposed to continue being Shikku like this? Hopefully someone from the League would find out and send _her_ to me.

But I shouldn't have thought that when my best friend was balancing on the fine line between life and death.

Mr. Gensai came into my room, a grave expression on his face.

"Anything?" I asked, gripping the sheets on my bed in fear.

"He's in stable but critical condition."

"I fucking hate that phrase, give me more details," I growled.

"His internal bleeding has stopped and his burns are being treated now, which cover a lot of his body." Mr. Gensaid sighed. "Half of his face is badly burned."

I couldn't even hold back tears – they fell freely down my face.

"He'll be out in about two hours," he said before leaving me alone.

I tried to be quiet when I cried.

* * *

_Kaoru_

This place was _insane_.

It was very small and eerily silent as doctors quickly walked past us, always in a hurry.

Hiko went to the main desk and asked for a Mr. Gensai, and I assumed it was the same one that was listed in Kenshin's contacts. I wondered who he was.

He ended up being a short old man, someone that I would normally want to hug if I were to see him walking down the street because he looked so cute.

But all that I wanted to do was shake him until he told me everything about Kenshin.

"Hi Kaoru, I wish we could've met under better circumstances," Mr. Gensai said.

I nodded. "How is he?"

He sighed and my blood froze. "He isn't good. He's severely burned on over fifty percent of his body and..." He shook his head. "They don't know if he's going to be able to function properly again."

Everything that was in my hands suddenly ended up on the ground, including my purse and Kenshin's cell phone, which I was gripping like it was his lifeline.

Why was this happening to the one person on this planet that deserved it the least?

"Is…" I let out a shaky breath. "Is his…brain okay?"

"Yeah, but the tumor grew significantly…we don't know how much time he has left before the damage gets to be too much. What's known for sure is that he's beyond surgery now."

I bit my bottom lip hard, not trusting myself; I knew that I was _this close_ to screaming and crying.

Hiko let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face with his hand; he suddenly looked old. "Is he out of surgery?" His voice sounded hollow.

"Yeah, he will be soon, but he's in a medically induced coma right now."

"Where's Yukishiro?"

"Resting – he has some injuries as well."

"Could we talk to him?" I asked softly.

Mr. Gensai looked at her hesitantly. "If you're going to give him a rough time about his arrangement with Kenshin, then no. He's beating himself over it enough, he doesn't need someone else to help him."

I was surprised by the protectiveness of that. Was he some sort of assistant to Enishi? He probably was, and judging by what he had just said, he must've known Enishi for a very long time.

So that must've meant that he knew Kenshin pretty well?

I looked down at all the items that I dropped earlier but I couldn't bring myself to kneel down and gather them, because I was sure I would then collapse on the clean, white tile and just cry.

"Kenshin really cared…_cares_ for you. He wouldn't have risked anything with Enishi with just anyone."

I nodded. "Thanks."

Mr. Gensai gave me a caring smile. "Please take a seat over there – I'll find you as soon as Kenshin is in a room."

I nodded and after Mr. Gensai left, I knelt to the ground and picked up my belongings.

* * *

_Enishi_

"Enishi, Kenshin is out."

I sat up quickly and instantly regretted it. "Shit," I muttered. "Help me up! I want to see him."

Mr. Gensai winced. "Enishi…maybe you should wait until you've gotten a proper night's sleep."

"No."

"It's not good."

"I don't care! The last thing I deserve is peace of mind."

He sighed. "Alright." He left for a moment and came back with a wheelchair.

It took him a few minutes to get me off the bed and into the chair without disconnecting the two IVs in my arms. But it was done, and it felt like it took hours to roll me from my room to Kenshin's, even though he was only at the end of the hall.

I was scared when we reached the door and I seriously considered asking Mr. Gensai to turn around and take me back to my room, but steeled myself and nodded to him, allowing him to open the door.

When I saw Kenshin, it was like a car wreck that I wanted so badly to look away from, but my eyes were glued to the scene.

The first glaring injury was on his face – his entire left cheek was almost black, almost as if he were cooked like a piece of meat. The skin that wasn't burned to a crisp was extremely pale and right next to his body was a blood bag, and its contents were entering his body through an IV.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, and on his chest was a large bandage that was already bled through. His right arm had severe third degree burns that made me wince. How was he able to hold a sword with that?

"He looks awful," I whispered. "And the sad thing is…he's going to take this completely in stride."

Mr. Gensai looked at Kenshin with an extremely sad expression on his face. "Poor kid."

And he did look like that lying unconscious: a child.

"How long will he be under that coma?" I asked, eyeing the other IV in his arm that administered the drug that kept him under the coma.

Mr. Gensai. "I don't know…but I'm assuming for a very long time. I can't imagine how the pain must be if he were conscious through it."

I stared at Kenshin for a good minute, murmuring under my breath, "Don't you go on me, Kenshin."

* * *

_Kenshin_

Never in my life had I been in so much pain. I couldn't even think about how much pain I was in, it was that bad. I thought of nothing.

I wanted to scream, but my tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof my mouth and my jaw felt like it was locked.

I tried to open my eyes, but I was only able to open my right eye and the first thing I saw was a stunning woman watching me. Her glossy black hair and red lips definitely made her extremely attractive, but there was something about her that I couldn't put my finger on. She was dangerous.

I instinctively tried to reach over for my sword, but I couldn't move an inch.

I think I groaned because she tilted her head to side and said, "What?" in a sultry voice.

I eyed her in total fear, hoping that she wasn't going to kill me. But when I finally noticed my right arm, I wanted to get away from it. Was this really better than death? And if I were to die this instant, was it really good that it was after the fact that I defeated one of the strongest super humans? After all that, only to die in a hospital bed?

"I'm not here to kill you."

_You're not?_

"I'm actually here to help you."

The first thought that came to mind was if she had any painkillers, because I honestly needed something that would take out an elephant; the pain stemming from every inch of my body was driving me insane.

She wordlessly reached into the leather jacket she was wearing and pulled out a syringe. Without any warning, she slipped the jacket off, revealing her perfect, bare arms, and stuck the needle in the soft skin of her inner elbow. She didn't flinch as she extracted her blood, not stopping until it was full.

She then pulled out the blood IV from my arm and I saw that the one that must've kept me unconscious was already out of my body. I was pretty sure at this point I started screaming, the pain was just too intense to be conscious during.

But she took one of my arms and inserted the syringe into it.

"There are other abilities besides offensive powers," she merely explained.

I couldn't distinguish the pain of the needle from anything else. But I soon felt a cool rush through my bloodstream. My head stopped pounding and my chest didn't feel like it was on fire anymore.

And then it stopped.

My body felt _normal_. And not only that, my head felt empty. For the first time in over a decade, my head didn't hurt.

I looked at her with wide eyes. "Can you…_heal_?" I croaked. I cleared my throat as I looked at her expectantly.

She stared at me blankly, but there was confusion in her eyes, as if she was trying to figure me out. "You really…don't know?"

"Know what?" I asked, examining my arms. The skin was smooth with no blemish. I brought a hand to my face and it was clear.

"That Shikku and Shishio and you are not the only people in this world with extraordinary abilities. There are others out there, Kenshin."

"Well…that would make sense."

"Yes, and we all know about what you've done. Everyone is in an uproar."

I cleared my throat. "What? Who?"

"Sidekicks, of course. We're all talking."

"_You're_ a sidekick?" I stared at her.

She laughed a little, as if understand where my train of thought was going. "And that's what makes me the perfect sidekick – I'm _very_ good at distracting."

"I bet you are."

Her smiled disappeared and she stared at me with all seriousness. "We're meeting. All of us. And we want you to come."

"What? Like a sidekick convention or something?"

"Sort of. But…we'll wait for you. I'm sure you have a lot of questions about what has just happened…and you'll probably want to talk to Shikku about everything."

I sat up and said, "Thank you…for healing me. And my head, it's…so much better now."

"You're welcome. But you will need to get a haircut – part of your hair is burnt and uneven."

And with that she strutted out of the room.

I put my hand on the back of my head and grimaced; I would need to chop off my ponytail, basically. I guess in the end, losing my hair was basically unavoidable.

Taking a slow, deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment before beginning to remove all my bandages.

* * *

_Kaoru_

Mr. Gensai led us to a room at the end of a corridor and he put a wrinkled hand on my arm, preventing me from going inside.

"He doesn't look good," he warned me.

I nodded. "I said I would be with him, and I mean it. Until the bitter end, as that stupid saying goes."

He accepted what I said and stepped aside.

"You can see him first," Hiko muttered, stepping aside as well. "I have to talk to Mr. Gensai."

"Thanks," I whispered, turning my head back to the door. Taking a breath, I opened it and walked through, shutting it behind me.

The sight before me made me collapse to my knees.

Kenshin was unwrapping his bandages?

And he looked completely healthy! How…

He looked up and saw me on the floor, his eyes wide.

"Kaoru?"

I tired to talk, but my mouth was dry.

He was about to get up from his bed, but he checked under his blankets sheepishly. Satisfied by what he saw, he got out of bed, and I noticed he was just wearing a clean pair of boxers.

He knelt before me and I couldn't breathe.

"You…you were burned…and you…"

He shrugged. "Some woman came and…" He paused. "I'm not quite sure what she did, really."

I felt lightheaded.

"So…" he cleared his throat. "I'm assuming…you know everything?"

I could only nod.

"Right…sorry. That I couldn't tell you."

"I need air," I gasped.

He bit his bottom lip. "Trust me, this is a little…unbelievable for me too."

I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe slowly; in through the nose, out through the mouth.

Okay. I had to get used to the fact that there were people out there that had extraordinary abilities; I already saw it with Kenshin and Enishi, demonstrating good uses of their power while there was also Shishio and Speedy Gonzales, using their powers for evil. Those four couldn't be the only ones. So this woman that had visited Kenshin earlier must've had some sort of ability also that would somehow heal all of his injuries.

Feeling better after thinking it through, I opened my eyes to find him staring at me patiently.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry."

He smiled and tears filled my eyes. I reached out a hand to brush away his bangs.

"Your hair looks terrible," I commented.

He fingered the torched ends of it, grimacing. "Yeah. I have to schedule another appointment."

I smiled at his expression before I reached out again, this time to stroke his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. I could feel his warm breath in the palm of my hand; he was alive.

I think I surprised him by leaning forward and catching his lips with my own.

He fell deeply into the kiss and responded hungrily as my hands snaked around his neck.

He half-lifted me from the ground so every inch of our bodies were touching. My hand moved down to his hip to pull him even closer as his mouth moved from mine to the delicate spot below my right ear.

"You're my heroine, do you know that?"

"You're the city's hero," I managed to say before I grabbed hold of his torched hair and pulled his mouth back to my lips and kissed him fervently, eliciting a sound of pleasure from him.

But then the door suddenly opened and a, "What the hell is _this_?" filled our ears.

* * *

A/N: Yeah sorry, my bad about the cliffhanger.

Please review!

MissGoalie


	11. Chapter Eleven

A/N: Please read the Author's Note at the end of this chapter.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

_Enishi_

"What the hell is this?" I exclaimed more out of shock than anything else.

First off, my astonishment for seeing Kenshin not only out of bed, but also without _any injury_ marring his body _and _making out with Kaoru was just unbelievable.

They broke apart, completely out of breath, and Kaoru looked down at the space between them before squatting to the ground to pick up her belongings. She gave something to Kenshin before muttering, "I'll leave you two alone."

Kenshin's eyes found mine and they widened with complete shock, which was understandable. I mean…the last time he saw me I must've looked like a mess. But at this point I was completely back to normal, thanks to _her_.

But by the looks of things, it was obvious that she had paid a visit to Kenshin as well. I wondered if that was part of her mission or not.

"How the hell did this happen? Last time I saw you…half your face was destroyed," I said after a minute of silence.

He shrugged. "Some woman came in and gave me her blood." He shook his head a little, as if he didn't believe it himself. "Oddly enough," he added under his breath.

So it definitely was her. Megumi, sidekick to Takeda, that slimy bastard.

"Megumi…" Kenshin repeated quietly.

Oh, shit. How could I've possibly forgotten his _ability_?

"Yeah, pretty stupid mistake to make, right?"

Usually when he used his ability, it was pretty obvious. Since it brought him so much pain, his eyebrows would furrow together for an instant, or he'd even wince. But now…

"Yeah, it's a hell of a lot easier to read your mind now. I don't know…I guess this Megumi person also fixed my brain. I don't feel a _thing_, you know? It's actually very…pleasant."

I felt like I was talking to a stranger.

"So, you know who it was…and I see she paid you a visit as well," he continued, gesturing toward my healed body. "You've been keeping a lot from me, haven't you?"

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Can we talk later? I think we both need some sleep."

I knew for _sure _that I needed some sleep. This was all too much to deal with today. I was already having trouble coping with the fact that Kenshin totally saved my ass in front of the _entire_ city. There was also the fact that now that everyone knew of Kenshin's existence, shit was definitely going to hit the fan as far as The League was concerned.

"Just…tell me that there are other heroes out there."

I sighed again since there was no use in lying anymore. "Yes, there are."

He nodded, crossing his arms. "And sidekicks? They have sidekicks, right?" he inquired.

"Yes."

"And…uh…" He looked down at the space between us and then raised his piercing gaze to me. "Do they hide…like I did?"

The past tense. He _used_ the past tense. That definitely meant something.

"_Do they_?"

Shit. "No, they don't," I gritted through my teeth. "But there's a _reason_ for this –"

"Okay."

I glared. "Stop. You're acting like a petulant child. I have legitimate reasons why I made sure you weren't seen."

He raised one eyebrow, something that I was never able to accomplish. "I'm sure you do, but I don't think I can handle hearing anything from you right now." He sighed and ran a hand through his charred hair. "I need a change of clothes. I want to get the hell out of here. We'll talk tomorrow, or something."

That was what I wanted to do in the first place, but I didn't mention it. Besides, he had probably read my mind anyway.

"Fine. I'll drop by your apartment tomorrow."

And I left before I could bash his face in for myself.

Mr. Gensai was about to come into the room, but I wordlessly pulled him away from the door, making sure I wasn't thinking anything until I was good distance away from the door; I wasn't sure how much Kenshin's abilities had improved.

"What are you _doing_, Enishi?" Mr. Gensai said, his eyes wide with confusion.

"Kenshin is_ healed,_" I revealed after we were out of the hallway.

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

Hiko.

He was standing quietly by the wall (how did I _miss_ him? He was three times the size of the average man for Christ's sake!). But now he was piercing me with those black eyes, demanding an explanation.

"I mean…it looks like he never got into any _battle_…except for his hair."

That was the first time I had ever seen that man looked like he received a slap on the face.

"Well you don't look too bad yourself," he said after a moment.

I shrugged. "Long story."

"That I'm sure you're going to tell Kenshin."

My hands curled into fists. "I have to go. Mr. Gensai, could you please get Kenshin some clothes and send him out? I have to sleep."

Mr. Gensai nodded before reaching into his pocket and handing me my cell phone. "I'll see you back at the apartment."

I walked past Hiko without saying another word.

I needed some fucking sleep, stat.

* * *

_Kenshin_

All those times…all those days…_hiding_ for him…all for _nothing_. Or I should say, for no good reason. I honestly couldn't wrap my head around this; I knew from day one that Enishi was a somewhat selfish individual: he grew up spoiled and once his father's business soared, he finished the rest of his childhood with a silver spoon in his mouth.

But this was the final straw.

There was a knock and I immediately recognized the man on the other side of the door. "Come in, Mr. Gensai," I said tiredly, rubbing my temples automatically, even though I didn't feel a thing.

Mr. Gensai entered the room, looking surprised. "Are you alright? Do you need some medication?"

"No." I dropped my hand to look at him. He was carrying a pair of jeans, a shirt, and pair of new grey Converse. "My head doesn't hurt anymore."

He smiled. "I'm glad." He handed me the clothes and turned to leave, but he suddenly stopped and said, "Enishi wouldn't have put you through this for just any reason, so you know. I can only imagine what this may be like for you…but please. Listen to him when he talks to you."

I let his words sink in and nodded slowly. "Okay."

Figuring that was the best response he was going to get out of me, he left the room. I let out a breath and dropped everything to the ground except my shirt, starting from the top, down.

I thought about what I was going to do – were Enishi and I still a duo? Except this time around I was going to be his partner instead of his sidekick? Or would I still be a sidekick, this time I would be shown.

Personally, I was done with being his unidentified sidekick. I deserved more than that, especially after what I had done, what I was willing to sacrifice.

I left the hospital without anyone noticing me. I guessed some things wouldn't change. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Kaoru's number, which I had memorized the first time she called me.

"_Kenshin! Hi!"_

I smiled. "Hey. I'm heading home now…I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my apartment – I'll make that dinner we've kept pushing back."

"_I'd love to…as long as you're up to it…_"

"I'm perfectly fine. I'll text you when I get back."

As I walked down the streets of this city, almost everyone was talking about me, and the words, images, tones were all flowing freely through my mind, and for the first time, I found myself smiling a little at everyone's thoughts.

_That guy…whoever he is…was _incredible_._

I grinned.

* * *

_Kaoru_

I was sitting on my bed, which was still mused from the night Kenshin and I spent together. Recently showered and dressed casually, I held the _The Daily Word _with weak fingers.

Kenshin, of course, was the star of the issue. It was a wonderful shot, actually: Kenshin's sword and the Fire Man's sword were clashed together, their bodies tense. His mask only revealed his intense, amber eyes.

_NEW MASKED HERO SAVES CITY_

Hero. New possibilities our future ran through me. All the superhero movies I had ever seen started to become possible realities. Would he stop seeing me like in _Spiderman_?

But that wouldn't work since I already knew his identity…so would it be like the sequel?

I hoped he wouldn't be a cliché, for selfish reasons.

My phone buzzed on my nightstand where it was charging. I checked it and was shocked to see it was the paper for the fifth time – why were they calling me so much?

I answered it, "Kaoru Kamiya."

"_Kaoru! We've been trying to reach you all day – where have you been?_"

It was Yuki, who had also attended Yukishiro's function with me. "Yuki, what's going on?"

"_It's Kamatari…Kaoru…he killed himself._"

I almost dropped my phone. He _what_? But he was so happy! He had an extremely well paid job at _The Daily Word_ and he was so _young_…

"W-Why?" I stuttered, feeling tears in my eyes.

"_He left a note behind, saying that since 'his love' has died…there was no reason to live anymore._"

I had no idea what Kamatari's personal life was like – it seemed as if he knew everyone else's in the office. I wondered whom he was seeing…

But I was so sad to realize that I was never going to walk into the building and hear his cheerful voice early in the morning…that I was never going to be teased about my "soap-opera" love life. He would've peed himself if he found out that the two guys I was debating over were one in the same.

I choked back a sob.

"_The funeral is in three days. We'll tell you more when things are more concrete._"

I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath, praying that my voice wouldn't crack. "Who is going to be running the paper?"

"_It would be Tetsuo…but we're still not sure. I'll call you later…you don't have to go to work tomorrow since I know you two were…close. I'll see you in a couple of days._"

When she hung up I allowed myself to cry.

* * *

I had barely gotten onto Kenshin's floor when his door flew open, revealing a concerned Kenshin. How was that _possible_?

"Are you okay?" he asked, eyeing her face. It must've been obvious that I was crying.

I swallowed as I walked toward him. He understood what I needed, so he held his arms out for me.

I buried my face into his chest and he half-carried me into his apartment, shutting the door behind him. His body was warm, and it was throbbing with _life_. I held him tighter.

"Kamatari…your boss…" he murmured under his breath by my ear.

I froze in his arms. It was going to take some getting used to.

"Yeah."

He pried me off of him to look directly into my eyes. "There's something you should know…about him."

I cocked my head to side. "About…Kamatari?"

He sighed and nodded. I knew this couldn't be good at all, and I was so curious – what did Kenshin know about Kamatari?

"You know Shishio?"

_Who?_

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know his name. The fire guy that I fought."

"Shishio…" I repeated the name. It was kind of good to put a name to him; I could stop referring to him as "the fire guy."

"Well…Kamatari…kind of worked for him."

_That_ I wasn't expecting.

"No way."

He nodded slowly. "He was a follower. He was in love with Shishio."

I took a few steps backward. "No…he couldn't…he…" I couldn't form complete sentences.

"I read his mind at Enishi's function…we knew that Shishio had someone that worked with Enishi."

The only thing that possibly made sense was that Kamatari did kill himself because his love had died…and Shishio did just die…

I collapsed to the floor.

I lost my appetite.

* * *

_Kenshin_

We were in my bed, the morning rays beginning to fill my room. I turned my head to look at Kaoru, and I frowned a little. Her face was still blotchy from crying last night – she took the new information about Kamatari poorly.

I kissed her forehead tenderly, and she scooted closer to me, the smallest of smiles gracing her face.

Looking up at the cracked ceiling, I thought about my impending conversation with Enishi and grimaced.

I gently touched the skin between the end of her shirt and the beginning of her jeans. I thought that we were going to take it really slow this time. The night of the function felt like a drunken one nightstand in a strange way. I didn't think we would do it again for a while.

I pulled her closer to me. At least I _had_ more time, that there were going to be more possible nights.

_This place is _such_ a dump…I have to get him out of here…_

I recognized Enishi's mind from _really_ far away. I was pretty sure he didn't even enter the building yet.

Looking to Kaoru, I shook her awake as kindly as I could.

"Hmmm?" She was still half-asleep.

"I'm sorry. Enishi's coming up…and we kind of need to talk so…"

She opened her eyes and I immediately smiled. She smiled back.

"Okay."

She took her time getting up, which I didn't really mind at all. It was kind of like watching the sunrise, or a flower bloom. Something like that.

As soon as she swung her legs off my bed, Enishi had entered the apartment. A flare of annoyance went through me – I hated how he would let himself in without even bothering to knock sometimes.

"Kenshin? You awake?"

I got up on my knees and kissed her for what I _thought_ was a few moments. But then I heard Enishi cough from the doorway and I pulled back.

"Bye," she whispered before quickly walking out of the room without looking at Enishi.

Enishi stared at me critically before sighing with sadness, which surprised me. "At least one of us is having a successful relationship."

I tilted my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Natsumi and I are done. She doesn't like my secretive life very much."

"I'm sorry," I said with sincerity.

He shrugged. "I may tell her one day. I mean Kaoru knows about you, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't _tell_ her. She figured it out. I don't know how that would've gone if I had to tell her."

Enishi looked down at the floor. "I don't know if she'll believe me. But…I can't really think about her right now. There are too many pressing problems to deal with."

I nodded. "So…you mentioned you had reasons for keeping me a secret. I'm very curious about this," I said, getting straight to business. I got out of the bed to stand in front of him to highlight my point.

His eyes rose to meet mine. "At first it was for your safety. I know that when you're trying to read minds, you tend to…leave yourself open. I was just worried that if we were standing together and you were helping me…then the bad guy would just take advantage of your state…"

I nodded. That made sense.

"But then after the first few times of us working together…I was contacted by an organization called _The League_."

"The League…"

"It's just a league of superheroes. Nobody knows about it, obviously."

I smiled a little in amusement. "Like the Justice League."

He snorted. "Yeah, but apparently they thought The League was more bad ass."

I laughed. "It kind of is."

He smiled and this was the first time in a long time that we'd shared a moment.

"So they contacted me…and the designated leader…he's just a douche. And he didn't like me at all, he still doesn't. Actually, he didn't want me in The League at all – but he was overruled."

I nodded to indicate that I was following him.

"Well I went to this meeting…and the douche…Saito…basically laid out the rules for being in The League…and he said that if I were to ever acquire a sidekick, I _had_ to register him or her."

I knew the "but" was coming.

"But…right when I was going to mention you, he said, 'But if you were to ever acquire a sidekick, that would just solidify your weakness.' It was meant to be a side comment, but of course everyone heard."

He looked down at his feet with an embarrassed grimace on his face. "They already questioned my power – they didn't think flying was quite good enough. And compared to some of their powers…I guess that's true."

"So you kept me a secret…just so you wouldn't seem _weak_?"

This was so _typical_ Enishi. I just _loved_ that this was turning into another way to make Enishi look better.

"I thought that after I had solidified myself as a hero, I would then register you, but then someone else tried to do that in The League…and he got kicked out. And let me tell you…The League is _very_ helpful. Thanks to The League, Megumi was able to come and heal us."

"So…I'm assuming this whole Shishio thing has created a big mess for you."

Enishi nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to be kicked out for sure. I already lied to them for two years about you…and Saito called me a while ago about you."

"Me?"

"That picture with you in it in _The Daily Word_."

Realization dawned on me. "Oh."

"Yeah."

There was a pause.

"I don't know what's going to happen…but they may get in contact with you. Or they may just contact me. I don't know. There's a scheduled League meeting in a few weeks."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll let you know if I get anything."

"I'm really sorry, Kenshin. I knew these years weren't easy for you."

I sighed. It was hard to be angry with him because he _did_ care about me; it was just the fact that it was really difficult for him to put others before him.

Pretty ironic that he became a superhero.

"What's done is done."

I kind of wanted to him leave now, but he wasn't budging. For the briefest of moments, I wanted to try and use one of my abilities to see if it would work – force him to walk out. But I immediately squashed that thought – I would _never_ do that to someone I cared about. At least not intentionally.

Enishi gestured to my bed. "So…you and Kaoru…?"

I flushed and shook my head. "No. Kamatari had just killed himself over losing Shishio…and she had difficulty accepting it."

Enishi's eyes widened. "He _what_?"

"Yeah. Kaoru found out from one of her coworkers." I sighed. "I think it's best if everyone didn't know about Kamatari. It would destroy the paper."

He hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Besides…we can't help who we love, right?"

I smiled. "Right."

"Alright…I'll let you go. I probably have a ton of shit to do at the company."

"Okay. I'll see you around."

I didn't want to think about the possibility of another criminal coming out of the woodwork. I didn't want to ask whether or not he would call me or not.

But I knew for sure that a lot of criminals would be lying low, at least for a little while.

So I stayed in my room as Enishi let himself out.

As soon as the door shut behind him, my cell phone rang. The number was unknown.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone – I just wanted to let you know that I'm going through a small bit of writer's block, so that's why this chapter is a bit late. Also, hits don't lie (haha I'm so clever) – I have hundreds of hits per chapter, and only a handful of reviews for each of them. Please, it's really not difficult! The button is at the center of the page now! It's big! You can't miss it!

Review!

MissGoalie


	12. Chapter Twelve

A/N: Thank you _so_ much for your patience!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

_Kenshin_

I stared at my phone, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. This was such a cliché, straight out of a movie, or a comic book.

With shaking fingers, I answered the call.

"Hello?"

"_Kenshin Himura._"

Why did this voice sound familiar?

"_You're two weeks late on your RENT._"

I laughed out loud I couldn't help myself.

"_This isn't a _laughing_ matter! This is going to be the _last_ time I'll accept your rent late! I'll kick you out next time this happens!_"

I stopped smiling. He _never_ threatened to kick me out before. Sure, he cursed at me, threatened me with death…but not kicking me out.

"I'm so sorry, I'll give it to you right now," I said quickly, rushing to the floor by the window where I hid my money under a floorboard. I pulled out a couple of hundreds and ended the conversation.

"Shit," I muttered to myself as I straightened myself out to go outside and down the hall to give my rent.

Until I felt another mind in my apartment, someone I didn't recognize. But I couldn't read into it since it was very murky, but I could definitely deduce that this person was extremely dangerous.

I held my breath and pocketed my phone before slowly walking out of my bedroom, bracing myself for anything.

He was sitting on my worn couch, staring at the blank TV. A lit cigarette was between his fingers, and I immediately smelt it. I hated the smell, and it was probably going to take days, possibly weeks, to get it out.

I shut my bedroom door behind me rather loudly, but he still didn't look over at me.

"Hello, I don't believe I left my apartment door open, but even that wouldn't excuse the fact that you clearly broke in," I said, not moving from my spot.

He took a drag of his cigarette and my nose twitched. This guy was a total douche – it was written all over him. "You're Shikku's tag along?"

This had to be Saito.

Well, Enishi did nail his personality perfectly.

I tried reading his mind again, but it was still shadowy. What the hell? I was able to read Kaoru's mind better than this, and her mind was kind of hazy to me.

"Who are you?" I asked, deciding to play along. I doubted he knew my ability, and he really didn't have to know.

I wondered what his ability was. Was it physical? Somehow I doubted it. But he did look like he could kick ass regardless if he had an ability or not, kind of like Hiko.

I couldn't hide my annoyed expression, but I figured he would take it as annoyance for his taking _so long_ to answer my question.

"Saito." He took another drag.

"Could you _not_ smoke in my apartment? It's already shitty enough as it is, I don't need it _smelling_ like shit also."

He smirked and stood up, walking past me to my kitchen where he dropped the cigarette there. What a _dick_.

"Has Shikku mentioned me? He doesn't have a high opinion of me, I bet," he asked, slowly looking around my apartment. "But I'm pretty sure you're developing a similar one of me as well."

"At least we're on the same page there," I stated plainly.

He smirked again. "You haven't answered my question."

"Once. You're the leader of some Justice League copycat," I answered, throwing that reference in there just to see if it would piss him off.

It did. His eyes flashed with annoyance, but it went as fast as it had come. This guy was _very_ good at controlling himself.

"Well he _would_ compare it to the Justice League – he acts like a petulant child whenever I see him."

And _how_ did that turn around to make it seem like I totally _failed_?

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Okay. What's the point of all this then?"

His eyes locked with mine. It seemed as if he was searching for something in me, but he couldn't seem to find whatever he was looking for; it was very unsettling.

"The League knows that you were the one to defeat Shishio."

I shrugged. It was still kind of uncomfortable to think about that, especially since it technically should've been Enishi who defeated Shishio. But I did feel a little pride – who wouldn't?

"Your presence is required at the next meeting of The League."

My eyebrows rose. "What?"

"The meeting is in two weeks, we're pushing it up _just_ for you."

This guy was so unnerving. I wondered if he had any sort of social life. But then again, I really didn't have one beyond Enishi and Kaoru, so really I wasn't that much better.

"Sure…where is it?"

"Shikku will bring you. Sidekicks aren't authorized to know the location."

"Wait…are you serious?" I blurted.

He pulled out a box of cigarettes and picked one out, but thankfully he didn't light it. "We'll see each other again." And he walked out, but before he did, he lit his cigarette and let out a large breath of smoke in the apartment.

I gave him the finger to his back as he shut the door.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled out my cell and called Enishi.

"_Hey, what's up?_"

"You're little friend _Saito_ gave me a visit."

"_NO WAY. What did he want?_"

"He invited me to one of your pow-wows."

"_A meeting with The League? Really? Huh. Well that's expected. But I can't believe he found out where you _live_. He's good._"

"But he doesn't seem to know my _name_. He called me your _tag along_. What the hell_ is_ that?"

"_He definitely knows your name, he was probably just trying to piss you of; he likes doing that._"

"Yeah. But I don't think he knows my ability. What can he do?"

"_He can remove people's abilities. But it's only when he's near you, and it's temporary._"

My eyes widened. "Oh my God. _That_ was why I couldn't read his mind."

"_Well, it only works when he knows your ability. Did you tell him you could do that?_"

"No."

Silence. I thought he was thinking out as to why his ability didn't work on me automatically.

"_Maybe…he wasn't doing it intentionally. Perhaps your powers sort of malfunction when he's around…but once he actually pinpoints your ability he'll make sure your power doesn't work. Does that make sense?_"

"I guess…since I was able to know that someone else was in my apartment. I sensed him."

I was right – this guy was _extremely _dangerous. I wondered what other powers people had, and if they were as bad as Saito's

"What a mess," I said, running a hand through my hair.

"_Relax, everything will be okay. We'll go in, I'll be kicked out of The League, and you may be barred from fighting crime_."

"_What_? That's _not_ happening! I gave up _everything_ to do this!" I exclaimed, getting extremely angry. I was half-ready to run after Saito and kick his ass.

"_We'll fight this, I'm sure I can convince a lot of the members to our side._"

I bristled at the use of "I" in that sentence. "Sure, you can try and do it alone, but I think you're going to need my help."

"_Of course, that's what I mean. Listen, I have to go, I have a meeting with the board in two minutes._"

And he hung up.

I looked at the cash in my hand and muttered a curse before running out of my apartment to give it to my landlord.

* * *

_Enishi_

I stared at the door in front of me, feeling extremely nervous. I wish I were going to a said-board meeting; this was just too scary.

Holding my breath, I knocked on her apartment door.

"Coming!" she said, but I knew her cheerful mood would probably come to a screeching halt as soon as she realized who was knocking.

I was right; I heard her come up to the door, and then freeze when she must've seen that I was there.

She opened the door before I was really ready to see her.

"Hi, Natsumi," I said, feeling like my heart was just going to break out of my chest.

She was looking at me, and I actually felt like she was holding my heart in her perfectly manicured hands, squeezing, squeezing…

No reaction.

"I need to tell you something," I continued.

I thought I sounded really desperate, because her eyes softened and she let me in.

She was dressed very casually, as if we were one of those rare days when she would stay the day after. In fact, the man's dress shirt would've been mine from the day before…except the one she was wearing _wasn't _mine from a left over night – it wasn't the usual brand I bought. And that thought made my throat close up. Whose was it?

"What is it?" she asked, not impolite, but she clearly didn't want to me to stay very long.

She looked at the dainty watch on her wrist and I was suddenly reminded of a time not so long ago, where I was in her position, waiting for a certain red-haired guy to leave my apartment so I could go on with my selfish endeavors.

This role reversal was very humbling, and extremely painful. I had to make sure to apologize to Kenshin for the way I had treated him.

She looked up at me with emotionless eyes and I could feel myself cracking. This was heartache.

I told her everything. I told her that I was Shikku, and that I had to hide this from every person in my life. That it was the hardest thing to do, especially with being Enishi Yukishiro, one of the richest men in the country.

I also told her about Kenshin, and what I made him do for me, and my deepest regret and guilt that kept me up at night nowadays. But that he managed to find someone to share his life with, so he wasn't alone anymore, and that I was really happy for him.

She was a good listener, never said a word. But she couldn't keep her emotions to herself for very long; as soon as I mentioned that I was Shikku (showing my mask and all) she nearly stopped breathing. After the idea slowly sunk in, she tried her best to retreat into a mask of carelessness.

My throat was getting really dry by the end, but I didn't want to ask for water, because I was afraid that if I asked, she was going to rip me apart. So I just kept my mouth shut and tried to swallow properly.

After a few minutes of silence, she said, "I guess it's kind of pointless for me to ask why you didn't say anything."

I nodded.

"You could've trusted me."

"Really? I thought until recently we were playing under the assumption that we were casual."

She looked down at her hands. "But it wasn't, really."

"Was I going to be the first one to break that?" I inquired, curious.

She raised her eyes to glare at me. "You should've! Guys are always so afraid of commitment and something serious, so I never pushed anything."

"Oh, come on, Natsumi, that's not fair."

"No, what's not fair is keeping up this casual thing, really wondering whether or not you were fucking other women besides me."

"I wasn't and you know it," I retorted angrily, feeling very offended that she would consider that. "I never had time for you with the whole Shikku business, let alone multiple others."

"Are you trying to make Shikku an excuse as to why you disregarded me and pushed me away?" she asked, and I could tell she was getting angry at the very thought.

"You try and save the city without people knowing your true identity and see how well you can juggle your life."

"Well it's a good thing that I'm not a part of your life, is it?" she said with a somewhat malicious glint in her eye.

"Please, Natsumi, I don't want that," I admitted quietly.

"It's too late. I'm done being shafted by you. Call me selfish, but I want to be cared for and loved. I don't want to compete for your affections."

"What do you _mean_ by that? I _told _you –"

"I mean," she overrode me, "Your clear passion for being a hero. I can't do that. I _won't_."

"So…what you're suggesting is…I'd have to completely abandon Shikku in order to be with you."

She took a few seconds before she nodded. "Yeah."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This was difficult – I knew that I needed to be Shikku now more than ever, given that I felt like I had a new competitor: my former _sidekick_. How messed up was that? "I can't do that. Not now."

She nodded again. "Okay. Then you have no business here. You know the way out."

I bit the inside of my cheek hard, trying not to get down on my knees and plead with her. I had more pride than that, and also, I should've wanted her to be as happy and as safe as she could be, and while I was also Shikku, she wouldn't be either one.

So I stood up and walked out of her apartment, and out of her life, at least temporarily.

Temporarily. A mantra for the entire way back to my apartment, and to lull myself to sleep, and to function day after day…

* * *

_Kaoru_

A few days after Kamatari's funeral, I was immersed with work again, every now and again struck with sadness at the lack of his bubbly presence.

As I was researching for an article, my work line rang.

I answered it and said, "_The Daily Word_, Kaoru Kamiya speaking."

"_Hello Kaoru, I'm Natsumi Nakamura…well. This is certainly more awkward than I thought it was going to be, but…I used to see Enishi Yukishiro._"

Wow. It was a good thing we weren't face-to-face because my jaw was practically touching the ground. "Oh. Okay. I never knew –" I started to babble, but thankfully she stopped me.

"_It's okay. Listen…do you think we could meet in person? I think we have a lot in common…given our similar situations. I won't say anything more about it until we talk face-to-face._"

"Um, call me thick…but what do you mean?"

"_I know of Kenshin…if that causes any light bulbs to flicker on._"

Did she _know_? Because other than that, what _would_ we have in common? And why else would she mention Kenshin…

"Alright. Do you have a particular place in mind?"

"_How about my apartment? You could stay for lunch._"

"Sure, where do you live?"

* * *

"Hey," she greeted cheerfully, holding out a hand.

I smiled and took it before she stepped aside and let me enter her large apartment. She must've been considerably wealthy.

She was dressed fashionably I assumed, I was never really up to date on what was considered "in" or "out," but she did dress like a celebrity, so I felt a little inferior with my plain skirt and blouse.

But she didn't try and make me feel uncomfortable, at least not willingly or knowingly. She already had a table and a large selection of food.

"I'm sorry, I just ordered everything – I kind of wanted to get right to the point," she apologized, offering a sheepish smile.

"It's okay. I'm not picky."

And everything there looked delicious. We quietly filled our plates before finally giving each other our full attentions.

"So…you know Kenshin?" I inquired.

"Well, we haven't met _personally_, but Enishi has mentioned him. Once. That function he had a while back when he was planning it, he mentioned Kenshin, saying he was an old friend."

I nodded. "I didn't know Enishi Yukishiro was Kenshin's friend until around that time."

"Well…I suppose they had a good reason why they kept it a secret."

I eyed her. "Do you know?" I blatantly asked.

Did she know Enishi was Shikku? That Kenshin was directly involved with Shikku's business? I wanted her to say it out loud.

"Yes. Enishi told me over a week ago about his status as the city hero."

I bit my bottom lip. "And you know about Kenshin."

"Yeah." She gave me a look of sympathy, her eyes filling up with tears, surprisingly enough. "I'm so sorry. It must've been so hard."

I tried to smile. "Well, I only found out before his last fight, but yeah. It was really difficult seeing that and knowing it was Kenshin. Putting a face to a masked hero makes him seem more human…more vulnerable."

She clenched her jaw and looked out toward the windows. "I wouldn't know how to deal with that." A tear gracefully rolled down her cheek.

I sighed, hoping I wouldn't sound harsh because I didn't want that at all. "Well the next time Shikku gets into a fight…you're going to know it's Enishi standing on that building, throwing that punch, taking that hit. It doesn't matter if you're going to ignore him from now on, or if you decide you want him in your life."

Her gaze fell to me. "But…isn't Kenshin always going to just abandon you in order to be the hero?"

"Yeah, he will. But…it's his job. It's his responsibility – he's helping this city and the people need him. And Enishi. I have to share Kenshin, yes, but in the end I'm the only one he'll let in completely, and it's worth it."

Natsumi smiled, but it was actually more of a grimace. "Maybe I'm not as strong as you." And then she laughed, a few more tears falling down her face. "He came here the other day and told me everything. He let me in…and I slammed the door in his face." She wiped the tears off her face and looked at me in the eye. "We handled the same situation a little differently."

I shrugged. "Look, I can't judge you. Your history with Enishi probably doesn't match my history with Kenshin. Maybe you have reason not to put your faith in Enishi. Maybe I'm just the tiniest bit masochistic and I get a secret pleasure out of worrying to death about Kenshin. It doesn't matter. It's your choice, and if you think you can live with it, then so be it."

I looked down at my barely-touched food and began to eat some of it, mostly because I would've felt rude if I didn't; I wasn't hungry anymore.

"And…you thought you could live with staying beside Kenshin?" she asked quietly.

"I know that I can't live without him," I answered matter-of-factly, looking at her dead in the eye to show how serious I was.

"I'm not that certain," she admitted, barely above a whisper.

I stopped bothering to pick at my food. "If he really loves you…he'll understand."

I had to admit, I was really disappointed in Natsumi. Of course, I wasn't Enishi Yukishiro's biggest fan at all, but I understood that even he needed someone in his life who knew who he really was, someone he could come to at the end of the day, wanting nothing more than to rest after fighting and saving everyone. Someone whom he could be himself around.

An outlet to be human.

Because that was the downside to being a hero: you weren't allowed to be human; your powers made you superhuman, and you were above, or could handle "petty" emotions such as loneliness, heartache, despair, disappointment.

The truth of the matter was Kenshin was still a human being, and while when I first met him he was doing fine on his own, eventually it all would've drove him mad.

But Enishi was human also, and this was probably hurting him more than he would ever admit.

I supposed that Natsumi had to look beyond her own feelings and perspective in order to understand that.

"It's okay, you can leave. This was kind of…forced upon you. The conversation, I mean. But it was…good. For me at least," Natsumi said kindly, standing up, to show she meant it.

I tried not to seem too eager to leave.

"Do you mind…if you maybe gave me a few updates on Enishi? Call me once in a while?" she asked hesitantly.

I sighed, but smiled. She really cared about Enishi. I supposed it was their prides getting in the way of their happiness together. "Yeah, no problem."

* * *

When Kenshin came to my apartment, I threw myself into his arms, squeezing as tightly as I could.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, holding me back just as tightly.

"Yeah. I…" I turned my face into his shirt, smelling sandalwood and detergent (he must've recently washed that shirt) and _Kenshin_.

He rested his chin on top of my head for a few moments before I pulled away and put my hands on either side of his head, forcing him to look at me. "I'll always be here, okay?"

I thought he was skimming over the contents of my mind, so I brought forward my talk with Natsumi early that day.

His eyes widened, but then I couldn't see his face anymore because he pulled me into a gentler hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

This was _my_ responsibility, my duty to help the people of this city: to be the hero's support. I was the person that nobody ever considered when he or she thought about the hero. I was the person who saw the hero at his lowest point, who saw his true weaknesses.

I was beginning to understand the true pain and accomplishment of being unidentified.

* * *

A/N: I hope the wait was worth it. Again, I'm sorry about that awful writer's block. Next chapter will be interesting – more superheroes!

Please review!

MissGoalie


End file.
